35 Gonna Fly Now
by ARtheBard
Summary: After a rough pregnancy, Rocky finally decides to make her appearance. But will she be welcomed into the world by both of her mother's or not?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, it was a mean cliffhanger at the end of "Baby Harvest". To show I'm not completely cruel, here is Chapter 1 of "Gonna Fly Now".**

**And for those that don't know, "Gonna Fly Now" was the theme song to "Rocky". Just seemed like a good title for this story. Very...angelic...you know...cause angels fly... :o)**

* * *

**Late Sunday night…**

"Oh, God, Em…she's…oh, she's beautiful!" JJ stares down in wonder at the little girl giving her lungs a workout as a nurse cleans her up.

"She's okay," Emily asks weakly.

JJ nods, her eyes still on her daughter. "Perfect." She looks at the nurse. "She is, right?"

The nurse smiles. "She sure is. Temperature is good and, well, you can hear that her lungs are fine."

JJ nods. "Rocky is perfect, Em. Just perfect."

There is no answer. JJ suddenly notices the room has gotten quiet. She turns and sees the tense look in Dr. Manton's eyes. She sees the nurses moving with rapid, deliberate movements around her wife. But Emily is unmoving, her eyes closed.

"Emily?" JJ steps towards the table containing her wife.

Suddenly the heart and blood pressure monitors start to blare warnings.

"EMILY!"

JJ starts towards her wife but is intercepted by one of the nurses.

"Get her out of here," Dr. Manton orders.

"NO! Emily! What the fuck?" JJ demands.

"She's crashing!" the head registered nurse states.

"EM!"

JJ is fighting to get to her wife. Dr. Manton chances once glance at the distraught blonde.

"GET HER OUT! NOW!" Manton yells.

Two nurses drag JJ into the hallway. A passing orderly stops to help them control her, allowing one nurse to rush back into Emily's room.

Twenty minutes later JJ stumbles out the double doors leading into the waiting room. Even though it is nearly midnight her parents, Emily's parents and their entire BAU family are awake and waiting. Sandy right away sees something is wrong with her daughter.

"Jenny?" she asks warily.

As she gets closer they all see the tracks of tears, the red-rimmed eyes. Elizabeth feels like she is trudging through molasses as she steps closer.

"Jennifer?"

JJ opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Her legs give out and she would have fallen if Gerald and Alan hadn't leapt forward to catch her. The tears start again as she gasps out one word.

"Em…Emily…"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Whoa! I don't normally mention reviews but I have to say the number of reviews for the first chapter of this story floored me. Pretty sure that's a one chapter record for me, which is wild considering the number of cliffhangers I use. Thank you all for being so invested in these characters. Now, let's see how the journey to that point started. Enjoy!**

**-AR**

* * *

**The day before…**

Saturday morning Emily gets up with Henry. By the time Garcia is up and ready to leave Emily has a travel mug of coffee ready for her. Garcia smiles at her.

"How come I've been with Kevin so long and he has yet to do this for me when I have to work on Saturdays?"

Emily grins. "Maybe he doesn't love you as much as I love you." Emily winks. "Or maybe he doesn't crave just the scent of real coffee as much as pregnant woman does."

Garcia bursts out laughing. "Yeah, uh, we'll go with the second since the first could get me killed by Jayje." She walks over and kisses Henry on the top of his head. "You be good for Mama and Daddy, okay?"

He nods. "Love Mama! Love Daddy!"

"Good boy." She starts to the door and smiles at Emily. "See you sometime later today unless you need me sooner."

Emily nods. "I will call if I need you. Promise."

When Garcia is gone, Emily sits down beside Henry to enjoy her fruit plate. She looks at her son. "Do you know what I would give for bacon, eggs, sausage gravy, biscuits and a giant mug of coffee?"

Henry holds out his rice-cereal covered hands. "Mmmm!"

Emily laughs. "Uh, thanks but no thanks, Champ." She offers him a bit of banana and he happily chomps it down. "At least someone is enjoying my, ugh, healthy breakfast." Rocky kicks her. "Yep, Champ, even your sister wants something else." Henry just grins. Emily rubs her stomach. "She'll be here in a little over a week, Henry. Do you really understand that loving her won't make me love you less?"

"Love Mama."

Emily smiles and strokes a hand through his hair. "Love Henry. Very, very much."

* * *

After Will leaves Emily as at a loss for what to do with herself. She and Francesca had finished doing the laundry the day before. The few dishes used that morning were already washed and put up. She looks towards the living room and sees Alaska watching her, his head tilted to the side.

"Want to play some poker, buddy?" He tilts his head the other way. She grins. "Never mind. Not sure I could handle the hit to my psyche if you beat me."

She pushes off the front door, taking the time to reset the alarm. She goes into the playroom and smiles.

"Might not be much but it will kill some time," she says, looking at the toys scattered all over. She looks down at Alaska who had followed her. "He's about at the age he should be cleaning up after himself. But right now I'm kind of glad I have something to do. Especially since I'm worried you're going to start answering me soon. My mind is a little warped right now, you know?"

She laughs as he lies down in doorway. Yep, if she starts having full conversations with him she will know it's time to check into the loony bin. She spends an hour cleaning, straightening up and putting things where they go. She chuckles as she finishes.

"You know, Ska, if he has a 'filing system' similar to his mommy's he's going to be really, really pissed at me."

Chuckling at that thought, Emily heads to the activity room. Yes, the cleaning service had just been there on Thursday but Emily is achy and can't stand the thought of lying in bed right now. What would it hurt to dust a little? Or maybe practice playing darts so she might someday beat her wife.

Once that room is straightened to her satisfaction…and she has convinced herself darts just isn't her game…Emily heads upstairs to Rocky's bedroom. She runs her hand along the railing of the handmade crib her mother had bought for them. It has a natural stain on it, letting the personality of the light wood show through. It is more like an art piece than a crib. But it is sturdy, safe and gorgeous.

"Good choice, Mother," Emily whispers.

She moves to the dresser and straightens up the items on top. JJ had missed the baby shower. There had been hope that she could Skype in for it but the war on terrorism had other ideas. They had filmed everything.

"Maybe next weekend we can watch that with her, Rocky," Emily states. "She really ought to know who got you what before you arrive. That way she can thank people when they come to see you."

She draws a finger over the soft baby brush. "I hope you actually have hair. Mother said I was bald when I was born and they wondered for a long time if I would ever get hair." Emily chuckles. "I can imagine she even looked into baby wigs to make sure I looked appropriate as I was introduced into society. Don't worry, Rocky, bald or not you'll be perfect in my eyes."

She sits down in the glide rocker, cuddling a Piglet animal to her chest. "I hope you love Winnie the Pooh as much as your mommy and I. If not, you'll be demanding a new room by the time you're three," Emily jokes, looking around at the plethora of Pooh items they had bought or been given.

* * *

That afternoon, after speaking with JJ, Emily decides to stop wandering the house cleaning things that don't need cleaning and lay down for a while. She is nearly to her bedroom when a contraction hits hard and fast, taking her to her knees.

"Oh…oh, God…oh…shit…oh, fuck…"

Emily fights to get up to try to walk off the pain. Finally she just gives in and stretches out on the floor, controlling her breathing until it finally eases.

"Shit…Rocky, what the hell was that?"

Emily crawls into the bedroom and pulls herself up onto the bed. She had intended to call her parents but instead just passes out. She doesn't wake until Garcia calls to tell her she's on her way. Emily stares at the ceiling for a few minutes.

"It was just a contraction, Emily. That's all it was. Just a bad one because you were up doing stuff instead of relaxing. So, you've learned your lesson. No more cleaning or darts or anything even partially strenuous. Make a simple dinner and relax. That's an order."

Satisfied that all is okay, Emily gets up and goes downstairs to warm up the spaghetti sauce Francesca had made and boil some noodles. A good dinner and a good friend were all she needs to be okay.

When she talks to JJ later that night, she doesn't glosses over the contraction she had that sent her to bed. She figures it was more a warning than a contraction and would just worry her wife. Maybe not the best idea to hide it but sometimes we don't make the best decisions when we are trying to protect our loved ones.


	3. Chapter 3

After the call from JJ about the nightmare, it had taken Emily a while to fall back asleep. Finally, around 5 a.m., she finally does slip back under.

* * *

"_You didn't listen to me, Emily," Dr. Manton says._

_Emily frowns. "I…I _**did**_, Dr. Manton. I swear!"_

"_No, I told you complete bed rest. You went swimming, you cooked meals, you even worked on cases. Not to mention you never took your blood pressure."_

_Emily is stunned. "But I did take my blood pressure! Look!" She opens up the ledger…and sees it is blank. She frowns. "No…this isn't right…it's…where are all the-"_

"_Stop lying, Emily. You didn't want this kid and now you won't have her."_

_"NO! I want Rocky! I swear, I want her!" Emily places her body between the doctor and the bassinet holding her daughter._

"_She's just going to be a show piece for you. You're just like your parents: distant, a drunk, incapable of loving a child."_

_"NO!" Emily is crying uncontrollably. "I want her! Please, Dr. Manton, I love her. I swear I love her!"_

_"Sorry. I told you when we started the process if I felt you weren't acting in her best interest she would be taken. In fact, we've already placed her."_

_Emily looks behind her and sees Rocky is gone. "NO! NO! Please…please bring her back! PLEASE!"_

* * *

"EMILY!"

Emily gasps and sits up in bed. Garcia's terrified face just inches from hers.

"Emily, you were having a nightmare. Calm down, honey. Everything is okay. I swear to you, everything is okay."

Emily throws her arms around her friend, sobs wracking her body. Garcia just holds her, whispering words of comfort while stroking a hand up and down Emily's back. Finally Emily calms down. Garcia eases back and strokes the tears from her face.

"I want to take your blood pressure, Em."

Emily just nods, not trusting herself to speak yet. Garcia gets the kit and takes Emily's b.p. Garcia's only surprise is that it is not in the red zone, though just barely. The kind woman strokes a hand through Emily's sweat-soaked hair.

"Let me get you some water and make a call, okay, Princess?"

Emily nods, giving a small smile. "Thanks, Pen."

Garcia gets a glass of water from the bathroom and then calls Elizabeth and Gerald. The ambassador's worried voice answers.

"Emily?"

"No, Elizabeth, it's Penelope. Emily is having some blood pressure issues and I don't want to leave her here alone. I have to be back at the office by 8. Could you all-"

"Say no more, Penelope. We'll be there within the hour."

Garcia smiles. "Thank you. It may be nothing but, well, I'm worried."

Elizabeth smiles. "Better safe than sorry, right? We'll be there soon."

"Thanks, Elizabeth."

"No, thank you for taking care of her and calling us."

Garcia hangs up and moves back to Emily's side. The brunette's eyes are closed but she is clearly not sleeping.

"Want to talk about it?"

Emily sighs. "I lied to Jen yesterday, PG."

Garcia raises an eyebrow. "Oh? About what?"

"I sorta wasn't completely honest about a really bad contraction I had yesterday afternoon." She opens her eyes and looks at her friend. "It took me to the ground it hurt so badly."

"Oh, Em," Garcia whispers.

"I crawled in here, managed to get up on the bed and passed out until you called."

"And you didn't tell her? Or me? Shit, Em!" Garcia says furiously.

Emily winces. "I know. It was stupid. But I just thought it was a bad contraction and I didn't want anyone to worry, especially with the case you all are working."

"You listen to me and listen good," Garcia commands, anger in her eyes. "You be honest with us no matter what or damn it, Emily, we can't help you. What if that was a sign that there is something wrong with Rocky? What if it's a sign something is wrong with you and that something could hurt Rocky? I swear, Emily Elizabeth Prentiss, if you withhold information like that again I will never, ever forgive you."

Emily had accepted the dressing down, knowing she deserved it. She hadn't considered the bad contraction could be a sign of something more. She reaches out and takes Garcia's hand.

"I'm sorry, Pen. You're right. About all of that."

"Right. I'm calling Dr. Manton. If she says she wants to see you I'll help you get ready so your parents can take you when they get here."

"Okay. Please…let me tell Jennifer. Please?" Emily begs.

Garcia stares at her and sighs. "Okay. When?"

"Let's face it: Dr. Manton is going to want to see me. As soon as I know something I will call her. I swear. I can't scare her without having information for her."

Garcia bites her lip before finally sighing. "Okay. But I swear, Emily, if you haven't talked to her by lunch time I will tell her myself."

Emily nods. "Deal."

Emily closes her eyes, hoping to get some rest before seeing her doctor later that morning. She awakens when she feels a tentative hand stroke down her cheek. She opens her eyes and forces herself to smile.

"Hi, Mother," she whispers.

Elizabeth raises an eyebrow. "If you don't think I can recognize the fake smile I taught you then your problem is your head not your baby."

Emily manages to chuckle. "Right. Sorry."

"How are you feeling?"

Emily frowns, considering the question. "I have a headache. My nose is aching, too. I think I might have had a nosebleed."

Elizabeth nods. "You did. There's blood on your pillow, cheek, and nostrils."

Emily grimaces. "Eww."

"My thoughts exactly," Elizabeth says with a smile. "Emily, we need to get you up and dressed. Dr. Manton will meet you at the hospital."

"The hospital? Why not the clinic?"

"She is worried that Rocky needs to make an appearance. She-"

Her words cut off as Emily groans, her body tightening as a strong contraction hits her. Elizabeth holds her hand.

"Breathe, Emmy. Control your breathing. That's a girl. That's the way, baby. Control the pain, don't let it control you."

After a minute or so the contraction ends. Elizabeth glances down at her Rolex, noting the time. She gets Emily to a seated position.

"Come on, honey, let's get you into the shower. It will make you feel better."

Emily just nods, letting her mother take control. Had she been feeling better, she may have noticed this was the most her mother had ever taken care of her. As a child, the nanny would take care of Emily when she was sick, lest the ambassador catch whatever Emily was fighting.

Elizabeth does notice. It nearly brings her to tears as she is hit once more with all that she had missed when Emily was growing up.


	4. Chapter 4

Dr. Kendle Manton stares at the print outs and sighs. She looks at Emily, who is hooked up to blood pressure and heart monitors. Emily is rubbing her stomach, careful not to dislodge the fetal monitor attached there.

"Emily, I'm worried. The contraction yesterday was a huge red flag."

Emily blushes, ashamed. "I…I didn't know. I swear."

Kendle pats her on the hand. "I know, Emily. I'm not blaming you or making accusations. I am just stating facts. I want to continue to monitor you and Rocky until noon. I know this his hard but please just try to relax. It may be nothing but we want to be sure, right?"

Emily nods. "Right. Of course. Whatever you say."

"Good." She stands to go.

"Dr. Manton?" Emily says quietly.

Kendle turns and looks at her patient. "Yes, Emily?"

"Is…is…could this be God's way of punishing me for when I was 15?"

Kendle's heart nearly breaks at the question. She steps close and takes Emily's hand, one hand stroking through the woman's dark hair. "I don't believe in a vengeful God, Emily. In fact, I would say Rocky is God's way of telling you that you are loved and forgiven. She's going to be just fine, Emily. She's going through a lot but that will just make her as tough as her mother's. You'll see."

Emily nods, tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she chokes out.

Kendle nods. "I'll send your parents in. Emily, you might want to give Jennifer a call and get her ready to come home, just in case we decide to go ahead and do the C-section today."

Emily nods as the doctor leaves. The door hasn't completely closed before Elizabeth and Gerald walk in. They each take a side of the bed, their eyes scanning all the monitors around their daughter.

"What is the plan, Emily?" Gerald asks.

"She says we should call Jen just in case things don't get better. I'll be monitored until noon. Maybe…maybe we should wait until then?"

Elizabeth raises an eyebrow. "And if the situation were reversed?"

Emily sighs. "I'd be mad as hell at her. Okay, call her. But stress I am okay and so is Rocky and that we will know more at noon."

Elizabeth nods and pulls out her phone. She gets JJ's voicemail. "Jennifer, it's Elizabeth. Emily is in the hospital. It may be nothing but we wanted you to know. Please call me as soon as you get this and we can give you a full update. We love you, dear."

Emily sighs in relief. Elizabeth looks at Gerald.

"Should we call her work phone?" she asks him.

Emily answers before he does. "Hers went for a swim yesterday. I'm not sure if she's replaced it yet or not. Besides…we really don't have much to tell her and there is a woman and child missing right now."

Gerald and Elizabeth stare at each other. Gerald finally shrugs. "Maybe if she doesn't call back we can just wait until Dr. Manton's noon evaluation."

Elizabeth reluctantly puts her phone away. "Okay. For now." She looks at her daughter. "We called Sandy and Alan. They are ready to get down here on a moment's notice. Gerald sent his plane to get them here faster than driving would."

Emily smiles. "Thank you. I just wish you hadn't worried them."

Elizabeth shakes her head, anger dancing in her eyes. "You just don't get it, do you? This isn't just about you, Emily. It's about you, your baby, and everyone that loves the two of you. Stop being the selfish little bitch we tried to make you."

She turns and storms out of the room. Emily stares at the closing door in shock. She slowly looks up at her father. He sighs.

"She's right, Emily," he says. "Maybe said it a little harsher than I would have but she's right."

Emily closes her eyes in resignation. "Yeah…I guess I know that." She opens her eyes and looks at her father. "Father, go to her. She needs you right now."

"Oh? And how do you know that?"

"Because I need Jen. At least one of us can get the comfort they need."

Gerald strokes a hand down her head. "Okay. We'll be back soon. I love you, sweetheart."

He leaves to go check on his wife, at the same time saying a prayer for his daughter.

* * *

At 12:30, Kendle finishes making her notes. She takes a deep breath and stares into Emily's eyes.

"I think we need to induce you, Emily. Your blood pressure isn't going down and at this point it's going to start hurting Rocky. Your body's natural defenses will do what they must to protect you."

"Oh, God," Emily mutters, her hand going protectively to her stomach at what the doctor insinuates.

"I'm going to introduce Pitocin into your IV. Just a small dose. We need to do this but I don't want to rush it. I'd also like to do this naturally if possible. The ultrasound shows she's in a good position for vaginal birth. If that changes, we can re-evaluate bringing her out via C-section."

"But…will she be okay if we wait?" Emily asks nervously.

Kendle nods. "I believe so. Of course, a lot could change suddenly. From this point forward a nurse will be in here with you and your parents. She can answer questions for you and respond immediately to any changes to your vitals or to Rocky's." She smiles and pats Emily's leg. "Think of this as the movie Rocky's fight with Drago. He won that fight and so will your Rocky."

Emily manages a smile. "I'll try to keep that in mind."

As the doctor goes out to make her orders known to the nursing staff, Emily lets out a sob she had been fighting. Her parents move to her, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm scared, Mom, Dad. I'm so fucking scared."

They hold her for a few minutes. Finally Elizabeth eases back. "I'm calling Jennifer and her parents."

Emily just nods.

* * *

It is nearly an hour later before JJ calls back. Her parents were landing soon at a private airstrip nearby and would be whisked to the hospital via the car service Elizabeth keeps on retainer. When Elizabeth sees who is calling, she steps out into the hallway.

"Jennifer."

"Elizabeth? What's going on?" JJ asks nervously.

"Emily is in the hospital. She is being induced and-"

"Emily WHAT?!" JJ interrupts.

Elizabeth hears JJ fall to the ground. She can hear the hurried movements and concerned words of the rest of the BAU.

"Jennifer, she is okay. But her blood pressure issues have Dr. Manton concerned."

"Oh my God…is…are you…is she…can she…"

"Hold on a moment. Let me let you speak to her."

As Elizabeth walks into the hospital room, Morgan lifts JJ up off the floor and sets her in a chair. He stays squatting in front of her, trying to figure out what is happening.

"Jen?" Emily asks.

"Emily! God, baby, what's wrong? Are you okay? How is Rocky? What the hell is going on?" JJ demands.

"Shhh, easy, baby. I am okay. Promise. And Rocky is, too. But Dr. Manton is worried that could change if I don't go ahead and give birth."

"Oh…okay…so, uh, what's going on?"

"She's giving me a small dose of Pitocin." JJ moans at the thought. "If all goes well, I can still have Rocky naturally. But if things change, she will have to do a C-section."

"Okay. So, um, how long until she knows?"

"I don't know yet. We're just kinda getting going with all this."

"Right. Okay. The case is over and the guys can handle the paperwork. I'm calling Garcia and having her get me on the next flight out of Macon. As soon as I have my information I will call Elizabeth. Can she have a car meet me?"

"Of course, baby. I love you, Jennifer. I'm sorry I'm scaring you so badly."

JJ wipes a tear from her cheek. "I love you, too. And don't you dare apologize to me. This isn't your fault, Emily. I'll see you as soon as possible."

* * *

JJ disconnects and stares at the phone in hand, trying to get a handle on her breathing and her emotions. Morgan lays a hand on her shoulder.

"Jayje?" he asks softly.

She looks up at him, seeing the fear in his mocha eyes. She looks beyond him to see the same concern on the faces of the rest of the team.

"They, uh, had to induce Emily. I have to go, Hotch," she says staring at the team leader.

He nods. "Of course. We can finish up here and meet you at the hospital when we get back tonight."

JJ nods. "Thank you. I need to call Garcia."

Morgan stands. "Call her as we go." He looks at Hotch. "I'll drive her to the airport."

Reid looks at JJ. "I'll get your stuff at the hotel. Don't worry about anything."

She smiles at her friends. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys."

Rossi grins. "No need to wonder, kid. Give Emily a kiss and hug from us."

JJ nods. "I will. Thank you." In the SUV she hits Garcia's number. "Garcia, I need a flight."

"A flight? Why?" Garcia blurts.

"Oh, God…you don't know," JJ mumbles.

"Know what? What the hell did I miss?"

JJ sighs and tells Garcia what has happened. The tech analyst's typing speed increases as JJ talks. As JJ finishes, Garcia curses.

"I didn't think to give Elizabeth my cell number. How fucking stupid!" Garcia chastises herself. "Shit…nothing to Dulles in a reasonable amount of time. Okay, a flight leaves Macon in 45 minutes. You'll change flights in Atlanta. You'll be at Reagan about 5 hours from now. And I did a thing to get you first class from Atlanta to National so you should be able to get off pretty damn quickly once you land."

JJ smiles. "You rock, Garcia. I'll see you at the hospital. Call Elizabeth to let her know when I'm getting there so a car can meet me."

"Gotcha."

When they pull up outside the terminal, JJ throws open the door.

"JAYJE!" Morgan yells. She turns to him as he holds out his hand. "Your guns. I know you've got your badge but this will just make things quicker."

JJ nods and hands him her side arm and clutch piece. "Thanks, Morgan. See you at the hospital."

He nods. "Tell her I love her and I can't wait to meet Rocky."

JJ nods, smiling nervously. "Right. I will. Love you, too, Derek."

Morgan watches as she runs into the terminal, pulling her credentials out of her back pocket as she goes.

"Good luck, JJ," he whispers. "God…watch over them. Please."


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Garcia finishes with everything on her end of the Macon case, she heads straight to Inova Fairfax Hospital. She does stop long enough to buy a big bouquet of flowers and an "It's a Girl!" balloon. She stops at the front desk to get Emily's room number but hears her name called.

"Penelope!"

Garcia turns and smiles at Gerald. "Hi. How are they?"

He smiles. "Emily is grumpy to mask her fear. Rocky is fine."

"Oh, thank God. I would have been here sooner but I had to send some files down to Macon so the team could close out the case and then, well," she gestures to her gifts, "I thought I'd bring her a little something to cheer her up. I knew she'd be scared."

Gerald squeezes her arm. "She'll love them. Thank you. She's up in 214. The Jareau's should be here in a few minutes so I'm just waiting to take them up."

"Great. Thanks, Gerald."

Garcia heads to the elevator. On her way up, she shoves her fear into a little box in her heart. She would be nothing but sunshine and happiness for Emily…and maybe give a little lecture just so Emily doesn't feel coddled. She takes a deep breath before walking into the room.

"Emily Elizabeth Prentiss, if you weren't lying on your butt I would spank it for causing us all this stress!" she threatens.

Elizabeth looks stunned. Emily sees the outburst for what it is. She smiles.

"I love you, too, Pen."

Garcia walks over and sets the flowers on the nightstand. She ties the balloon to the drawer handle.

"I know, the balloon is a bit anti-climatic since we already know, and technically a little early since she's not here yet but it was pretty."

Emily nods. "It's gorgeous, Pen. So are the flowers. Thank you."

"How are you feeling?" she asks as she brushes a lock of hair back behind Emily's ear.

"Woozy. I'm starting to get somewhat regular contractions. If all goes well, I should be meeting Rocky by 11 or there abouts."

Garcia smiles. "I can't wait. Can I get you anything?"

"Ummm…shot of bourbon and a cigarette?"

"Oh, Emily," Elizabeth chastises as Garcia giggles.

"I was thinking more along the lines of ice chips or maybe a magazine."

"Playboy?" Emily asks with a wink.

"Emily Elizabeth," her mother mutters.

Garcia slaps her arm. "Stop torturing your mother, Em. It's not nice."

Emily chuckles. "Well, if you're not going to let me have any fun, ice chips would be nice. And maybe soup or something if I can eat."

Garcia nods. "Your wish is my command, Princess. Back in a jiff."

Garcia heads out, giving Elizabeth a friendly squeeze as she goes. Elizabeth moves to her daughter's side, her eyebrow raised.

"She's right you know."

"About what?" Emily asks.

"You deserve a spanking."

Emily chuckles. "Just trying to keep things light, Mom." Emily sighs. "I'm scared, Mom. I can't just…I need…"

Elizabeth takes her daughter's hand and kisses it. "I know. You're using your humor to settle your mind. Still doesn't mean you don't deserve a spanking."

Emily chuckles as Elizabeth hitches a hip onto the edge of the bed and pulls her into a hug. She kisses her daughter's head.

"I told you all your life to hide your fear. I was wrong, Emily. And if you need to show your fear I won't think less of you. Truth is I'm terrified for you and for Rocky. But you have a wonderful doctor, the staff here is great, and I know your strength of mind and heart. Those are the things I am holding onto right now."

Emily takes a shuddering breath. "Thank you, Mom. I love you."

"I love you, too, Emmy."

Before she knows it, Emily has slipped off to sleep. Elizabeth just continues to hold her, still kicking herself for all the years she had lost with her remarkable daughter.

* * *

"_Hi."_

_Emily turns and stares at the young girl. It takes her a second to recognize her since she had never actually met her._

_"Amy?"_

_Amy smiles. "Yep."_

_"Uh, what's going on? Am I, uh, you know…"_

_Amy chuckles. "Nope, not dead. But I was sent to walk with you a bit over the next few hours." She steps closer, a sad look in her eyes. "It's going to get worse before it gets better, Emily."_

_"Oh. Uh, how much worse?"_

_Amy extends her hand, ignoring the question. "Come on. Let's walk."_

_Emily tentatively reaches out her hand. She is surprised that the hand she grips is warm. Amy smiles, knowing what Emily had expected._

_Emily swallows her fear and allows Amy to lead her down a dirt road. Emily looks around her. It seems familiar. A distant memory. She frowns as a smell wafts over a warm breeze. She smiles._

"_The villa."_

_Amy grins and nods. "Yep. It's pretty here. I can see why you love it so much."_

"_Yeah, I did. I mean, I still do. I just haven't been here in a lot of years."_

_"Why not?"_

_Emily shrugs. "I don't know. Life got in the way I guess. And, for a while, I felt too dirty to come here. This place was my salvation as a child; my sanctuary. After my time I Interpol I never came back because I was scared I'd taint it."_

_"Jenny will love it here."_

_Emily smiles. "Yeah, she will." She looks at Amy. "I plan to bring her. I swear."_

_"I know."_

_Emily stares at her. "Will I get the chance?"_

_Amy starts to walk again. "Come on, show me the manor house."_

_Emily stares after the blonde that looks so much like her wife. "Amy…please…tell me."_

_Amy stops and turns to her. "I don't know the future, Emily. I only know that right now I'm here to guide you through these memories."_

_She reaches her hand out to her sister-in-law. Emily takes a deep breath and takes the out-stretched hand. Together, they continue down the path towards the house Emily had loved so much as a child._

* * *

"Emily? We need to check your vitals."

Emily's eyes blink open. Her mother stands to the side of the bed. She slowly turns her head and looks at the nurse beside her.

"What?"

"Machines are great and all but I have to manually check your vitals. How are you feeling?"

Emily considers the question a minute. "Um, a little loopy, actually."

The nurse smiles. "I'm not surprised." She takes Emily's wrist and checks the pulse by touch. Yes, the machines are good but human interaction is better. "Pulse is fine. Fast but fine. Open up." Emily opens her mouth to allow the woman to take her temperature. When the machine beeps, the nurse smiles. "Perfect. I know you have to be worried but things are looking really good right now."

Emily manages a smile. "Thank you."

As the nurse goes out to record her readings at the desk, Emily sighs. Before her mother can ask what is wrong the door opens to admit the Jareau's. Sandy smiles at her daughter-in-law.

"Hello, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

Emily thinks a minute. "Okay, I guess."

Alan follows his wife in. "You were asleep when we got here earlier. Hope you don't mind that we went to get a bite to eat."

Emily shakes her head. "No, that's fine. What time is it? Is Jen here yet?"

Sandy takes her hand. "It's about 6:00. Jenny should be landing any minute now. If all goes well she'll be here within the hour."

"Good. I…I need her," Emily admits softly.

Alan pats her on the leg. "I'm sure the feeling is mutual, Emily. I'm sure it is."

* * *

JJ had allowed herself one rum and Coke on the flight. She needed it to settle her nerves. As it is, her left leg jumps nervously nearly the entire flight, completely irritating her seatmate. Her only saving grace was that there was more room between the seats in first class. Otherwise the businessman beside her may have smacked her.

As they make their way up the Potomac River, JJ takes a steadying breath. The flight attendant stops to check on her.

"We should be on the ground in 30 minutes, Mrs. Prentiss. I've gotten word that a driver will meet you at the doors by baggage claim 4. Director Ryder has cleared it that he can wait for your arrival without having to circle."

JJ gives a surprised chuckle. "Really? Wow. Um, thank you."

The attendant nods. "Good luck with everything."

"Thank you."

The man beside JJ looks at her in surprise. "Director Ryder? Like of the FBI?"

JJ turns and looks at him. "All flight you've done nothing but glare at me, even when I was in tears. And now you want to know my business? Kiss off."

She turns her head away as the man gets a rude look on his face and goes back to packing up his laptop in preparation for landing.

* * *

The next guest for Emily is Kevin, who had been out of town at a seminar when Garcia called him. Emily smiles at him.

"You left a tech seminar for me? I'm touched."

He shrugs, blushing. "Well, you've seen one amazing computer update you've seen them all really."

Emily chuckles. "Right. Thank you, Kevin."

"No problem. Oh, and I brought you a gift." He pulls out the latest edition of Playboy. "There's a great article in here about the possibility of utilizing inter-dimensional shifts to make transporters a reality. And they would be on devices as small as iPads"

Emily laughs as she takes the magazine. She sees her mother rolling her eyes and, most likely, whispering a few Hail Mary's under her breath.

"You know, Kevin, had any other guy given me this purportedly for the articles I may not have believed them. Thanks."

Kevin grins as Garcia rolls her eyes. "No problem." He leans closer. "Oh, and page 32…wow!" he says with excited eyes.

Emily chuckles and flips to page 32. She bursts out laughing and turns the magazine to show Garcia the article revealing speculation on the next generation tablet computers. Garcia chuckles and pats her boyfriend's cheek.

"He's so cute."

Emily nods. "Yes, yes he is."


	6. Chapter 6

"Emily Prentiss' room please," JJ says to the lady at the information desk.

"Do you know what she is in for?"

"Having a baby."

"I see. She's in room…214."

"Thanks," JJ says over her shoulder as she's already running towards the elevators.

It seems to take a ridiculously long time for the elevator to go up one floor. All JJ can do is be thankful she's not higher up. It would have been the next morning before she arrived. Before the doors are open, JJ is wedging herself out and onto the floor. As she starts towards the nurses' station she hears her father.

"Jenny!"

JJ spins towards him. "Dad! Where is she?"

He takes her by the shoulders. "Calm down, Jenny. She and Rocky are okay. Take a deep breath and calm yourself down before you go in there. They are both fine. I swear."

JJ slowly nods, taking a couple of deep breaths to try to center herself. It works to a point. But she will not be completely calm until she sees her wife.

"Okay…where is she, Dad?"

He smiles and takes her hand. "This way."

He opens Emily's door and JJ takes a nervous step in. Her eyes immediately go to the machines around her wife's bed before moving to the woman they are monitoring. Emily's eyes brighten immediately.

"Jennifer."

JJ smiles and moves to her wife's side. "Couldn't wait for us to get home?"

Emily shrugs. "I like to do things in a dramatic fashion."

Their family members step out to give them a moment alone. JJ chuckles and takes her wife's hand. She leans down and gives her a gentle kiss, pressing their foreheads together.

"Are you okay?" she whispers.

Emily takes a shuddering breath. "I think so. Just…scared."

"I know, baby. Me, too." She slowly stands and looks to the nurse, who has moved to the other side of the bed. "Anything you can tell me to set my mind at ease?"

The nurse smiles kindly. "She is doing just fine. Dr. Manton will be here in a few minutes to let you know what's going to be happening in the next couple of hours. I promise you, things are looking good for Rocky and your wife."

JJ lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." She turns and looks to her wife, her free hand rubbing over Rocky. "The guys send their love. Once they are done down in Macon they will be flying home and making their way here."

Emily smiles. "You got the bad guy, right?"

"Yep. Both of them."

"Both?"

"Long story. I'll tell you later, Agent Prentiss."

Emily smiles. "I'll hold you to that, Agent Jareau. Can you do me a favor? Once we know what's going on can you call Tom and Declan? Dad talked to them earlier. Dec is staying at Tom's tonight so he can know as soon as Rocky is here. He's scared, Jen."

JJ nods. "I'll call him. Promise." She kisses her wife once more then glances over at the nightstand. She chuckles. "Okay, I know the flowers are from Pen. Who the heck gave you a Playboy?"

Emily smiles. "Kevin. There's a great article in there on making transporters reality and a preview of upcoming tablet computers."

JJ stares at her wife a minute then shakes her head. "And again I'm reminded I'm married to a nerd."

Emily chuckles. "Hey, he's the one that bought it for that reason. I just pretended to read the articles."

JJ laughs. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too, Jen."

Ten minutes later Dr. Manton comes to see them. Emily sees the look on her face and sighs.

"C-section, right?"

Kendle sighs. "I'm afraid so. The Pitocin has helped but it's not enough to make Rocky want to come out on her own. We're going to run a few tests and I'm going to book an OR. If all goes well, Rocky Prentiss should be with us by midnight," she says with a confident smile.

Emily shivers. "A week early. Will she be okay?"

Kendle nods. "Yes, she will. We'll of course monitor her lungs and heart function closely the first 24 hours but she should be just fine." She steps close to Emily and takes her hand. "I know there has been a lot of stress surrounding this pregnancy. But, Emily, I swear to you everything I have seen so far tells me Rocky is healthy and strong. Keep positive. Everything will be okay."

Emily nods. "Right. Okay. I'll try. Promise."

"Good. I'll be back in an hour to let you know the schedule for the rest of the night."

Emily and JJ nod as Kendle heads out of the room. Emily looks at JJ.

"What if she's wrong? What if she's not okay?"

JJ stares into her wife's eyes. "She will be. Not because Dr. Manton says so but because she is a Prentiss, Emily. She will be just fine."

Emily stares into fiercely confident blue eyes. She nods. "Keep telling me that?"

JJ nods. "Whenever you need me to, however many times you need me to."

JJ pulls her wife into a hug. Rocky and Emily would be fine. There is no other option.

* * *

Just before 9 the BAU shows up. Morgan makes his way directly to Emily's room. He eases open the door.

"Still lying around doing nothing, Prentiss? What the hell?" he teases.

Emily grins. "I like being pampered. I am a trust fund princess, after all."

Morgan and JJ chuckle. Morgan makes his way to her side and takes her hand.

"If that were true I doubt we would be friends."

Emily nods. "True."

"You okay?"

Emily gives a slight nod. "Other than being completely terrified, yeah I'm okay."

He shakes his head. "No need to be terrified, Em. While we were on the plane Garcia gave us a rundown of what's going on. She even had charts to show us." Emily grins. "Everything is going to be just fine. And in just a few hours, I'll be Godfather to the prettiest little girl I know."

Emily squeezes his hand. "Yeah…you will."

Just then, Elizabeth pops her head into the room. "Emily, Dr. Manton says they are ready to take you to the OR now. A whole lot of people want to wish you luck."

Emily nods, a thousand butterflies taking off in her stomach. "Yeah…okay."

JJ looks at her wife. "I'm going to step out to call Declan and Tom. Then I'll do what I have to do to be in the OR with you. Okay?"

Emily nods, not trusting her voice. As JJ walks out, the rest of the BAU team walks in with both sets of parents. All of them give their love and encouragement to Emily. Almost before she is ready, two orderlies come in to transport her. She looks at her mother, fear in her eyes.

"Mom?"

Elizabeth takes her hand, her eyes boring into Emily's. "I love you, Emily. Everything will be okay. I can't wait to meet Rocky."

Emily just nods, finally releasing her mother's hand as they wheel her out. Sandy walks over and pulls Elizabeth into a hug.

"She will be okay, Liz. They will both be just fine."

Elizabeth just nods, terrified for her daughter and granddaughter.

* * *

The next time Emily sees JJ, the blonde is in scrubs. Emily smiles.

"Having a 'Grey's Anatomy' fantasy come true?"

JJ chuckles and moves to her wife's side. "Yeah, I am." She pretends to look around. "Now if only McDreamy were to show up. Then the fantasy would be complete."

Emily smiles. "Hope he doesn't. I won't be in any shape to protect my interests."

JJ grins and gives her wife a kiss. "Gee…lucky me."

Emily smiles, holding JJ close. "I'm still scared, Jen."

"Don't be."

"I…I had a dream…or something…earlier." She leans back and looks into her wife's eyes. "I was walking with Amy towards our villa. She said she was there to be my guide."

JJ strokes a hand down Emily's cheek. "It was just a dream, honey. Like you told me last night, dreams are our minds way of fucking with us. Do I believe Amy is watching over us? Yes. But is she some sort of guide to the afterlife for you? No. Because you are not dying on me, Emily Prentiss. You are not dying on me or Rocky or Henry. Do you understand me?"

Emily slowly nods. "Yeah, I understand you."

Just then Dr. Manton walks up. "Well, Emily, it's time. Are you ready?"

"No," Emily says weakly.

JJ squeezes her hand. "It's going to be fine, Emily. I'll be right beside you just like you were right beside me."

Emily stares into the confident pools of blue. She takes a steadying breath then looks at Kendle. "O…okay. I'm ready…probably."

Kendle smiles. "Everything will be fine, Emily." She glances at her watch. "If all goes well, Rocky will be here before midnight. I get a bonus if she's born on a Sunday, you know," she says with a wink.

Emily manages a chuckle. "How about I promise to match that bonus if she's just born when she wants?"

Kendle pretends to think about it. "Well…okay. Let's see what Rocky decides." She pats Emily on the leg. "See you in about 15 minutes."

Emily just nods. JJ kisses her wife once more. "I love you, Emily. I am so happy for us right now. I can't wait to meet my little NFL kicker."

Emily smiles. "That would make us more money than a soccer player."

"True. And better tickets at Redskins home games," JJ adds, as if that's the most important thing about Rocky.

Emily chuckles. "If she's born wearing a maroon and gold jersey I'll know what you were doing all those times you woke up before me."

JJ grins. "Oh, baby, that was just one of many things I did to you before you woke up."

Emily can't help but laugh, feeling something settle inside of her. "Thanks, Jen. I needed that."

"I know. I love you, baby. Let's go meet our daughter."

Emily nods. "Yeah. Let's."


	7. Chapter 7

Just before 11 p.m. Emily is wheeled into the operating room. Her heart monitor registers a spike as soon as she looks around. Her care nurse smiles and pats her shoulder.

"It's okay, Emily. There is nothing to be worried about."

Emily just nods as all the monitors and machines are reattached and moved around to give Dr. Manton all the room she will need to perform the C-section. The care nurse looks at JJ.

"There will be a stool up by Emily's head. You can sit there with her, talking to her, until Rocky is born. Then you can go to your daughter to give your wife a run down of everything that is happening with your daughter."

The anesthesiologist comes in next. She had done her preliminary work before Emily had been moved. She checks the patient once more, making sure she has the proper course of action planned out for Emily.

Dr. Kendle Manton enters next and smiles at the Prentiss women. "So, ready to meet the fourth member of your family?"

Emily sighs. "Only if she's ready."

Kendle smiles. "Trust me, she's ready." She looks at JJ. "You know where to stay?"

JJ nods. "On the stool; don't go past the sterile field shield."

"Good girl." She grins at Emily. "Agents and Soldiers always follow orders. It's so nice."

Emily chuckles. "Yeah? Try getting her to take out the trash."

Kendle nods as JJ swats Emily's shoulder.

Soon the whole staff is in the room and ready. JJ can't help but think they remind her of the military units she had worked with. Each person had their orders and specialty to pay attention to. They knew what to do, when to do it, and simply awaited their captain, Dr. Manton, to give the order to move out. Kendle smiles at everyone, her eyes landing last on the anesthesiologist.

"Shall we?"

The anesthesiologist nods. "Let's do it."

JJ sits beside Emily, her hand on her wife's cheek. If Emily's arms hadn't been secured for safety's sake JJ is sure they would have risked breaking each others' fingers. JJ concentrates on looking positive and calm for her wife while her insides are turning summersaults.

Emily blinks her eyes. "Whoa…what exactly was I given?"

JJ smiles. "The good stuff. I remember it well. Don't worry, Rocky will be out before it gets to her."

"Cool. I feel…trippy. Is this what marijuana feels like?"

JJ bursts out laughing. "You are so asking the wrong All-American about that one, baby."

"Ah. Right. Well…cool anyway."

Kendle had smiled, listening to the conversation between her clients. But all the time she had been carefully cutting into the pubis. JJ glances up at Kendle, seeing nothing but positive confidence in the woman's eyes as she delivers the uterus, carefully slicing into the muscle.

"Scissors," Kendle orders.

She carefully cuts into the uterus, making sure to miss the moving baby inside. She passes the scissors back to a nurse and reaches in to lift Rocky up and into the world.

"Suction," she orders as she cuts and clamps the umbilical cord.

She passes off Rocky to one of the nurses who takes her to a bassinette and starts to clean her up. Once the suction device is used Rocky lets out a strong wail. JJ doesn't even know she'd been holding her breath until she hears the sound.

"Oh, Rocky, sweetheart," she murmurs.

"She's doing alright?" Emily asks sleepily.

"I think so."

Kendle smiles at JJ. "Go over and take a look, Jennifer. She sounds okay from here."

JJ nods, never noticing the tense look in Kendle's eyes or the clipped sound of her voice. All she hears are the strong wails from Rocky. JJ moves to the bassinette.

"Oh, God, Em…she's…oh, she's beautiful!" JJ stares down in wonder at the little girl giving her lungs a workout as the pediatric nurse cleans her up.

"She's okay?" Emily asks weakly.

JJ nods, her eyes still on her daughter. "Perfect." She looks at the nurse. "She is, right?"

The nurse smiles. "She sure is. Temperature is good and, well, you can hear that her lungs are fine."

JJ nods. "Rocky is perfect, Em. Just perfect."

There is no answer. JJ suddenly notices the room has gotten quiet. She turns and sees the tense look in Dr. Manton's eyes. She sees the nurses moving with rapid, deliberate movements around her wife. But Emily is unmoving, her eyes closed.

"Emily?" JJ steps towards the table containing her wife.

Suddenly the heart and blood pressure monitors start to blare warnings.

"EMILY!"

JJ starts towards her wife but is intercepted by one of the nurses.

"Get her out of here," Dr. Manton orders.

"NO! Emily! What the fuck?" JJ demands.

"She's crashing!" the head registered nurse states.

"EM!"

JJ is fighting to get to her wife. Dr. Manton chances once glance at the distraught blonde.

"GET HER OUT! NOW!" Manton yells.

Two nurses drag JJ into the hallway. A passing orderly stops to help them control her, allowing one nurse to rush back into Emily's room.

Twenty minutes later JJ stumbles out the double doors leading into the waiting room. Even though it is nearly midnight her parents, Emily's parents and their entire BAU family are awake and waiting. Sandy right away sees something is wrong with her daughter.

"Jenny?" she asks warily.

As she gets closer they all see the tracks of tears, the red-rimmed eyes. Elizabeth feels like she is trudging through molasses as she steps closer.

"Jennifer?"

JJ opens her mouth to speak but nothing comes out. Her legs give out and she would have fallen if Gerald and Alan hadn't leapt forward to catch her. The tears start again as she gasps out one word.

"Em…Emily…"


	8. Chapter 8

_"Hi again," Amy says. "I was wondering if you were coming back. Was really hoping you weren't."_

_"Where…where are we now?" Emily asks, seeing they are no longer in France._

_Amy looks around. "I don't know. Looks like a hospital. Maybe a clinic or something."_

_Emily pales, her knees going week as she realizes where they are. "No…no…not here. Please, not here. Please, Amy, take me somewhere else."_

_Amy shrugs. "I can't. I'm not in control. You are."_

_Emily shakes her head. "NO! No, I wouldn't bring myself here. I never want to see this place again! Please, Amy, how do I leave?"_

_Amy sighs and takes Emily's hand. "I don't think you do. Not until you face it."_

_They walk slowly down a hallway. Emily sees Matthew pacing in front of a door. Suddenly a scream pierces the air. Matthew leaps at the door, struggling to get it open._

_"EMILY!"_

_Emily drops to her knees. "Please, Amy, please don't make me go in there. Please," she begs._

_Amy kneels down beside her. "I told you, Emily, I'm not in control of this world. You are. If you don't want to go in just…just wish us somewhere else."_

_Emily shudders as she hears the scream again._

_"EMILYYYYY!" Matthew yells, banging on the closed door._

_"He…he wasn't out here. He was with me. Beside me," Emily states._

_"Are you sure? The whole time?"_

_Emily nods. "Yes. I…I wouldn't have made it through all that without him. He held my hand the whole time."_

_"Then why is he in this hallway?"_

_Emily frowns, staring at him. "I…I don't know."_

_Emily watches as Matthew bangs on the door again. As she watches a man opens the door. Matthew pushes past him._

_"Emily!"_

_Suddenly Amy and Emily are standing at the head of the bed. Matthew is griping a 15 year old Emily's hand. Emily hears the drip of blood as if it is a bass drum._

_"Emily, it's going to be okay," Matthew tells her._

_"It hurts, Matthew. It hurts so bad!"_

_"I know, Em. But it's going to be okay."_

_"God will punish me. Father Gamino said so."_

_"Father Gamino is a liar, Emily. God won't punish you. I promise. On Sunday you and I will walk into that church together. We'll show Father Gamino and everyone that God still loves you."_

_Young Emily just sobs into his shoulder as the doctor comes back to finish the procedure._

_Older Emily looks at Amy._

_"God doesn't love me. He hasn't since then."_

_Amy smiles. "Emily, if God didn't love you he wouldn't have sent you Jenny. And he wouldn't have given you Rocky."_

_"But I had an abortion. And I'm a lesbian. And I've killed people. Innocent people."_

_"Name once innocent person you killed, Emily," Amy challenges._

_Emily opens her mouth and shuts it a few times until she finds her answer. "I don't know their names. But I did some time undercover and-"_

_"And the people that put you in that position could be blamed for those deaths. You did what you had to do under orders."_

_"But God doesn't understand that!" Emily insists._

_Amy laughs. "You're saying the all-knowing God doesn't know you followed orders? That he doesn't know you did what you had to do to save millions? Really?"_

_Emily snorts. "Millions? Really?"_

_Amy stares into Emily's eyes. "How many people would have been driven into war and how many innocents would have died if you hadn't taken down Ian Doyle and all the players that stood between him and Lauren Reynolds?"_

_Emily frowns. "I…I don't know. But that doesn't change this!" she gestures to her younger self being comforted by Matthew as the doctor finishes the abortion._

_Amy takes Emily by the shoulders and stares into her eyes. "If God is as vengeful as you believe, you wouldn't have Rocky to worry about. Until you accept that we'll be here."_

_Emily slowly turns and stares at her younger self. She watches as the doctor stands and peels off his gloves. He says a few words to Matthew then leaves. Matthew turns back to his friend._

_"It's over, Emily. He says you'll need to wear a pad for a few days but it's over."_

_Young Emily sobs. "I'm…I'm scared, Matthew. What do I do on Sunday? Father Gamino said I'm not welcome in his church. But if I don't go I'll have to tell my mother."_

_Matthew shakes his head. "Fuck Father Gamino. On Sunday you and I will walk into church together. We'll even get there late so he sees us arrive. And God will not strike us down. He won't, Emily. And then Father Gamino will have to accept that God didn't punish you. Or he'll have to accept that…never mind."_

_Young Emily frowns. "Accept what?" she presses her friend._

_Matthew locks eyes with her. "He'll have to accept that his God is full of shit."_

_Young Emily shudders. "Matthew! Don't say that!"_

_"Why not? His God would condemn you for this! No way! I don't think a God that believes in forgiveness would condemn a child for what happened here. I don't believe a lot of what Father Gamino says. If we walk into that church on Sunday and we aren't struck down then I know I am right and he is wrong."_

_Young Emily lets out a choked sob. "I'm scared, Matthew. What if he does strike us down?"_

_"He won't, Emily. I know in my heart he won't."_

_Present day Emily looks at Amy. "Matthew was right. God didn't strike me down."_

_"No, He didn't. And He led you to love with Jenny, Henry and Rocky. He even led you to reconciliation with your parents. Tell me, Emily, how could you be scared of Him when He has given you such wonderful gifts?"_

_Emily thinks it over a moment. She looks back to her younger self wrapped up in a hug from Matthew. Finally she shrugs. "I don't know. But if I am forgiven why am I here with you instead of with Jen and Rocky?"_

_Amy smiles. "Because you still have a lot of shit from your past to deal with. Come on. I think I know where we're going next."_

_She extends her hand. Emily takes it and walks with her out the door and down a path that appears as if from no where._

_"Where are we going?"_

_Amy smiles at Emily. "I think you know."_

_Emily stares at the path, terrified that she does know where they are going…and knowing she doesn't want to go there._

* * *

_Ian slams Lauren up against the wall. Their mouths battle for dominance. Lauren hooks her leg around his ankle and shifts, now slamming him up against the wall. She breaks the kiss and stares into his eyes, her own filled with lust._

_"I'm leading this dance, Ian," she tells him._

_He grins and grabs her breast roughly. "The hell you are, love. The hell you are."_

_Their mouths crash together again as they wrestle with each other. Clothes are torn, furniture overturned until they finally land on Ian's bed._

_Emily squeezes Amy's hand, her eyes shut tight. "Please…take me away from this. Why the hell are we looking at this? I'm done with this part of my past."_

_"Are you really?" Amy asks. "Look, Emily."_

_Emily slowly opens her eyes. Gone is the bedroom. Instead she is staring at a market square in some unknown city._

_"Where…where are we?"_

_"I think somewhere in the Ukraine. Hard to tell. I kinda sucked at geography."_

_Emily studies the scene. "I…I've never been here before. Why would we-"_

_An explosion rips through the square. Emily jumps in fright as people panic. Some run to help the injured. Mothers grab their children, trying to get them to safety. Automatic gun fire rips through the streets. Soon the smell of burning buildings is mingling with the smell of burning flesh._

_"We have to help them!" Emily screams at Amy._

_"It's too late for them. This is about you, Emily."_

_Emily slowly turns and stares at Amy. "Me? But…I've never been here! I swear!"_

_When Emily turns back the street scene is gone. Instead she is in an office. She sees Sean McAllister slam his fist down on a desk where Clyde Easter sits._

_"THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE STOLEN BACK!"_

_Easter shrugs. "If all her shipments disappear Valhalla will strike her down. Some of Lauren's weapons have to hit the open market and be used."_

_Sean paces furiously. "You sick son of a bitch! 43 people DIED! And you best hope that Lauren never finds out that it was because you failed her. Again."_

_"Oh? Why?" Easter says snidely._

_Sean leans on the desk, staring into his boss' eyes. "Because she will not hesitate to kill you. You created the monster known as Lauren Reynolds. Don't for a second think your fate would be any better than that of Dr. Frankenstein. His monster came after revenge, too."_

_Sean turns and storms out of the room. Easter watches him go then grabs his phone. "Contact the Tuscan police. We take them down tomorrow."_

_Emily swallows, furious. "He let them get attacked. And then he took Ian and Lauren down before word got out. He was covering his own ass."_

_Amy nods. "Yes, he was. I think you've known this for a long time."_

_Emily sighs. "I suspected. He best hope I never see him again," she states, her eyes hardening._

_Amy grins. "You're pretty scary when you're pissed."_

_"Only when I'm pissed at Clyde." She slowly turns and looks at Amy. "I'm not responsible for the deaths?"_

_Amy shakes her head. "No. Anything you sold was to be defective, stolen back, or sold to another undercover operative. Clyde Easter changed the game for his own ends. He made sure some of Ian's weapons got to North Korea to be used against the government there. He wanted the man to suffer and hopefully die in that prison. He was supposed to imprison him in England but wanted him to be tortured, something that wouldn't happen in the U.K."_

_"But why?" Emily asks incredulously._

_Amy shrugs. "Revenge. You'd have to ask him to get the full story."_

_Emily bites her lip, turning back to the man now pacing behind his desk. "No. It's enough to know it was his fault. It's enough to know…to know my guilt is his and his alone. I'm done with him, with Lauren, with all of this."_

_Amy smiles. "Good. Jenny worries about you when you have nightmares. Make sure she knows that things are even clearer in your head now."_

_Emily looks at her sister-in-law. "Will I have the chance? Am I going to live?"_

_Amy shrugs. "I don't know. I hope so. I don't want Jenny to hurt again the way she hurt…you know…when I…"_

_Emily nods. "Yeah, I know." She takes a deep breath. "So, where next Ghost of Christmas Past?"_

_Amy chuckles. "Dickens. Cool. Well, I don't know. Let's see where this road takes us."_

_Emily suddenly notices the road in front of them. Wondering what mind fuck is coming up next Emily shrugs. "Sure. Why not?"_

* * *

_The two women walk along the road. Finally Emily can't take the silence._

_"So, um, well…"_

_Amy chuckles. "Trying to figure out what to ask me?"_

_"No, more like how to ask you." Emily bites her lip a moment then stops at looks at the blonde beside her. "Me and Jen…you're okay with us? With me?"_

_Amy stops and turns to the brunette. "Jenny was always sure she'd end up alone. I think she felt she should be alone as some sort of penance for not saving me. Still, when she got pregnant I was sure she'd finally marry. And I thought Will was okay even though she had her doubts about him. But then she started talking to me about you and I knew Will was a huge mistake. Got to admit, popped into her dreams a couple times trying to get her to wake up, um, so to speak."_

_Emily chuckles. "I see."_

_"When you two finally got off your asses and got together I was thrilled. Not only was Jenny really, truly happy I knew you respected parts of her no one else had ever acknowledged." She reaches over and takes Emily's hand. "I heard you asking if it was okay to marry Jenny. It was. And the fact that you would talk to me the way she does told me you understand and respect her on a level no one else ever has. I love you, Emily, and I am so proud to have you as my sister-in-law."_

_Emily pulls her into a hug. "Thank you, Amy. I love you, too."_

_The two start to walk again. Amy slides a glance at Emily. "And for the record, if I hadn't approved you would have ended up with your pants ripped up the butt on your wedding day."_

_Emily starts to laugh. "Uh, good to know."_

_The road in front of them suddenly ends. Emily looks around. "Uh…what's going on?"_

_"This is where we part," Amy explains._

_"Part? Um…why?" Emily says fearfully._

_"It's time for me to go back where I am from. And it's time for you to go wherever you're supposed to be."_

_"Where…I'm…supposed to be?"_

_Amy smiles and nods. "Yes. Hopefully with Jenny, Henry, and Rocky." She punches Emily lightly on the arm. "I love her name, by the way. Thank you."_

_Emily nods. "It just seemed…right." She studies the girl in front of her for a moment. "Thank you for this…this journey."_

_Amy smiles. "My pleasure. Emily, your past is your past. It made you the wonderful person you are today. Embrace it for that reason and let go of the guilt. Go forward in love, Emily."_

_Emily smiles, tears in her eyes. "I will try. I promise."_

_Amy grins. "Do or do not, there is no try."_

_Emily laughs. "First Dickens and now Star Wars. My surreal journey is complete."_

_"Yes, it is. I'm pretty sure I know where you're going. Tell Jenny I love her. And that I forgive her for the music box."_

_Emily nods. "I'll tell her."_

_The two women hug, Emily squeezing her eyes closed against the tears._

* * *

_When Emily opens her eyes, she sees two doorways of light in the distance._

_"Amy, what are those?" No answer. "Amy?"_

_Emily looks around and realizes she is all alone. She swallows. "I'm alone because it's my decision. I have to decide where to go."_

_She carefully studies both doorways. Somehow she knows that the minute she starts towards one the other will disappear. What makes them different? Both are just rectangles of bright light. They look exactly the same._

_"Shit. How the hell do I choose? Jen, where are you?"_

_Suddenly she understands. "It's not what they look like it's what the feel like."_

_She closes her eyes as she stares at one door. She feels love, but it is the love of those she has lost: grandparents, friends…Matthew. It feels so good, so comfortable. It feels right to go to the ones she loves._

_She slowly turns her face towards the other door. She feels love again. Now, she feels her parents, the Jareau's, her BAU family, Henry…and Jennifer. There is a fear in the love she feels. A fear that something could happen to one of them. It is an uncertain love._

_She opens her eyes. One door guarantees her an eternity of love and peace. The other guarantees her love, but with the looming specter of loss. Emily takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Pain or peace?_

_"You are so sick of pain in your life, Emily. How much more should you have to endure?"_

_She looks at each door again. She closes her eyes, images of loved ones, past and present slip through her mind. She opens her eyes and slowly turns to face one door._

_"It's a no-brainer, Emily. No one will blame you. Just go."_

_And so, she walks towards one of the doorways of love, the other disappearing like a morning mist._


	9. Chapter 9

Alan and Gerald carry JJ over to a seat. Alan squats down in front of his daughter.

"What happened, Jenny?"

JJ takes a jumpy breath. "She…she wouldn't stop bleeding. I was looking at Rocky and she is so perfect. But then it was really quiet. They couldn't stop Emily from bleeding and she started to crash and they were—"

Alan strokes a hand down JJ's cheeks as his daughter starts to hyperventilate. "Easy, Jenny. Is she okay?"

JJ just nods. "I…I think so. They…oh, God, Dad, they made me leave. It seemed like forever. I watched them wheel Rocky out and they were ordering blood and meds for Emily and," she throws her arms around him, "I thought I was losing her, Dad."

He pats her back comfortingly. "But you didn't, right?"

Everyone is on pins and needles. JJ is beyond distraught. Her speech pattern tells them she is in shock and her breathing and heart rates are rapid. Elizabeth looks up as the double doors open again.

"DR. MANTON!"

The entire group turns as the doctor approaches them. "Emily is going to be just fine. She's getting a fourth unit of blood and may need a fifth."

Reid steps up. "I can give again. Just point the way."

Kendle smiles. "Thank you. I'll take you back." She looks to the others. "They are moving her to a recovery room. I'll sit with her until she wakes and let her know what's going on. But you all can rest easy, both Emily and her daughter are just fine. I think Emily just likes making things difficult."

Gerald chuckles. "Isn't that the truth."

Garcia collapses against Kevin. "So…if I had stayed with her yesterday…"

Kendle shakes her head. "Nothing would have changed what happened here today, Ms. Garcia. I promise. This was just…what the Fates decreed. As soon as Rocky is in the viewing room I'll have a nurse come get you." She kneels down and stares at JJ. "Go see Rocky. Emily will need reassurance from you that your daughter is okay. I will come get you personally when you can see Emily, okay?"

JJ nods. She reaches out and takes Kendle's hand. "Thank you so much."

Kendle nods. "No problem. Hopefully when it's your turn we can do things with a little less excitement. Boring is fun, too, you know."

JJ manages to laugh. "Uh, right. But we're not good about being boring."

"You can say that again," Hotch mutters, as everyone chuckles.

Kendle stands and looks at Reid. "If you're ready?"

Reid nods. "Lead the way to the vampires. Tell them to take as much as they need."

JJ stands and gives him a hug. "Thank you, Reid. I know it's not enough but thank you."

Reid smiles. "My pleasure. Not just anyone can donate to Emily. Us nerds have to do our best to keep our blood pure."

Everyone laughs as JJ kisses his cheek. "You're the best."

Reid just nods and follows Kendle back to see Emily. Ten minutes later a nurse fetches the entire crew to go get their first look at Roxanne "Rocky" Amy Prentiss.

* * *

When Emily opens her eyes, she is staring up at the relieved countenance of Dr. Kendle Manton.

"Welcome back, Emily. You gave us quite a scare."

"R—Rocky?"

Kendle smiles. "Absolutely fine."

Emily looks around. "Where am I?"

"A recovery room. We'll keep you in here until the IV is done and then we'll move you to your room on the maternity ward."

Emily raises her arm, seeing the red tube attached to her. "I…I got blood?"

"Yes." Kendle sighs. "You suffered a uterine hemorrhage. To be honest, it's not uncommon with women who have had the issues you have had. You lost a lot of blood so rapidly you actually started crashing. We gave you more Pitocin and we started you on the blood you had banked. I was worried that we'd have to give you a hysterectomy but thankfully the Pitocin worked and your arteries started to contract, slowing the bleeding."

"Bleeding…" Emily says quietly. "How…how much bleeding?"

"We've already used both units you banked, as well as one of the pints that was banked for you." She nods to the IV. "That's the second unit that your friend banked. I'm sure we won't need to use any more. Since you want to breastfeed, should it look like you need more we can try to use saline until your donor's next unit is typed and crossed." She grins. "He's with the vampires now."

Emily smiles. "If you see him before I do, tell Reid thank you."

Kendle nods. "I will. Now, I'm going to go out to see if Jennifer is up with Rocky. She went to speak with you family and friends. They are all going up to see Rocky with her. You have quite a crowd out there and I have a feeling they aren't leaving until they see you, visiting hours be damned."

Emily chuckles. "Yep, that sounds about right." She reaches out her hand, which Kendle takes. "Thank you, Doc. Thank you so much."

Kendle nods. "It has truly been my pleasure. A challenge, but also a pleasure, Emily."

Emily grins as the doctor walks out. She closes her eyes, trying to still the fear in her heart but knowing it won't completely go away until she sees Rocky.

* * *

JJ changes into a clean scrub shirt and puts a gown over it. The nurse carefully picks up the sleeping Rocky and places her in JJ's arms. JJ pets a finger over the dark hair covering the little girl's head.

"Hi, Beautiful. I'm your Mommy. And I plan to spoil you rotten. Yes, I do." She gives Rocky a kiss on the forehead, breathing in the scent of the little girl. "Oh, I love you so much, Rocky. So very, very much."

JJ carefully walks over to the viewing window. The nurse slides the curtain back. JJ smiles as Elizabeth and Sandy collapse against each other.

"Those are your grandma's, Rocky. About as opposite as could be but still wonderful friends and they love you so much. Those men right behind them are your grandpa's. Kinda like your grandma's but guys. And the rest of those people are your aunt and uncles. You have others that aren't here but those people there will always be there for you and us. They are a gift to you, Rocky. You'll see."

Suddenly Rocky gives a big stretch, her arms and legs reaching out. JJ smiles and looks up at everyone as Rocky opens her eyes. They are blue. And not the blue that most babies have but a clear blue. Sandy smiles at her daughter.

"Just like yours, Jenny."

JJ smiles and nods.

"She's beautiful," Elizabeth sobs.

The nurse walks over and taps JJ's shoulder. "Emily has been moved to her private room. How about you let me get this one ready to go see her Mommy."

JJ nods. "Yes, of course. Thank you."

JJ walks over and lays Rocky in the bassinette marked "PRENTISS" in huge letters. JJ strokes a finger down her daughter's cheek.

"I love you, Rocky Prentiss. I love you so much my heart might explode."

* * *

Emily feels a hand stroke down her cheek. She knows that hand. Her eyes slowly open and she gives her wife a weak smile.

"Jennifer."

"Hi, baby. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. A bit sore. Still scared."

"No need to be scared. I just held our daughter. She has dark hair and crystal blue eyes."

Emily smiles. "Yeah? But aren't all babies born with blue eyes?"

"Yes but Mom said Mark, Amy and I all had the same eyes when we were born. I mean, they could change but they probably won't. She's got those good Jareau eyeball genes."

Emily chuckles. "Ah, of course."

JJ leans down and gives her wife a deep kiss…that gets the heart monitor blaring. JJ sits up as they both chuckle.

"I love you, Emily. Thank you for giving me such a beautiful daughter."

"I love you, too, Jennifer. I'm sorry I scared you."

JJ lays her forehead against Emily's, a shiver running up her spine. "We'll discuss that later. I am just so glad you are both okay. I love you both so much."

"We love you, too."

The two sit there, hands clasped, foreheads together until the door opens and Rocky is rolled into the room. Emily's heart jumps again. The nurse just smiles and lifts Rocky up and places her in Emily's arms.

"It will help her to start to try to nurse immediately, Mrs. Prentiss. It will be good for both of you."

Emily nods as JJ loosens the gown her wife wears. Emily only has eyes for her newborn daughter.

"You are gorgeous. And you have your mommy's nose, don't you? Yes, you do. Oh, Rocky, you are so, so beautiful."

JJ and Emily watch as the infant immediately takes Emily's breast, suckling immediately.

"Oh, and so smart, too."

The nurse stands by, ready to help or offer suggestions. But since JJ had "been there, done that" she helps Emily get situated and assures her that the start and stop pattern that Rocky uses is perfectly fine. The nurse smiles and pats JJ's arms.

"I see they are both in good hands. If you need anything just hit the call button."

JJ nods, her eyes never leaving Rocky. "Thank you."

Once they are alone, Emily looks up at JJ. She sees the wonder and the love in her wife's eyes. She also sees the dark circles are back.

"You look stressed, baby."

JJ chuckles and meets her wife's eyes. "Gee, I can't imagine why, Em."

"Take a few days off? Please?"

JJ nods. "Already set. I told Hotch before I left for Afghanistan that I wanted a week when Rocky is born. It won't be a problem."

Emily sighs in relief. "Good. Has anyone called Declan?"

JJ nods. "Gerald was going to call while I was getting Rocky ready to show them. And Garcia called Will. He'll be here as soon as Henry is up and awake tomorrow. Turns out they had a great time at the fair and it was all Will could do to keep Henry from bringing back a pet duck."

Emily chuckles. "Just what Sergio needs: another creature to chase him."

JJ grins, her hand stroking Rocky's hair. "I had forgotten how soft a newborn's hair is. Like silk."

Emily nods. "I know." Emily uses a finger to lift a tiny little hand. "And the fingers, Jen. So cute! And, well, you know I have a thing for baby feet."

JJ chuckles and kisses her wife's temple. "I know. But let's keep her bundled up for now, okay?"

Emily nods. "She's perfect. Absolutely perfect."

"Just like her Mama."

A knock on the door causes JJ to turn. Elizabeth pokes her head in. "Ready to meet the grandparents?"

"Of course," JJ says.

Emily tucks her breast away since Rocky seems done for the moment. Elizabeth leads the other three in. The ambassador moves right to her daughter and kisses her cheek, giving her as much a hug as she can.

"I love you, Emily. Are you really okay?"

"Never better, Mom." Emily looks down at Rocky. "Rocky, this is your Grandma Lizzie. She's a little nuts but we love her anyway."

Elizabeth swats her daughter's arm as she strokes a finger down Rocky's cheek. "She's beautiful, Emily. Just like both her mommies." She looks at JJ. "Congratulations, Jennifer."

"Thank you, Liz."

Just then Rocky opens her eyes. Emily gasps, seeing just how blue they are. "Oh, Jen…oh, sweetheart…"

Sandy wraps an arm around JJ's shoulders. "Just like Jenny, Amy and Mark. Their hair color changed by their eyes never did."

JJ looks at her mother. "Our hair changed?"

Sandy nods. "Yours and Mark's did. His was dark like that and went blonde. Yours was red."

Emily chuckles. "Great. If Rocky's turns no one will ever believe I'm the one that gave birth to her."

JJ grins. "Just show them the stretch marks. That will be proof enough."

Emily grins…and then yawns. Elizabeth turns to the others. "Okay, I think that's my daughter's cue that she needs rest. How about we convince everyone to go home and come back in the morning?"

"Uh, Mom? If Reid and Derek are out there, can you ask them to come in?" Emily asks.

JJ rolls her eyes. "Oh, hell, just tell them all to come on."

Alan, Sandy and Elizabeth give Emily and Rocky kisses. Gerald leans down and whispers something in Italian to Rocky. When he's done, he smiles at Emily, who has tears in her eyes.

"Thank you, Dad."

He kisses her forehead. "No, Emily. Thank you."

When they leave, JJ looks at Emily. "What did he say?"

"He just reiterated that neither Rocky nor her brother will ever want for anything. Just like he told Henry the first time they met."

JJ runs her fingers through Emily's hair. No words were needed. When the door opens next, Garcia leads in the BAU. Emily smiles.

"Hi, guys. Congratulations on solving the case."

Hotch chuckles. "Well, let's just say the nature of it gave us extra motivation to solve it."

Emily nods. "I'll bet."

"Yeah, and once JJ ended up in the hands of the unsub it was even more-"

Morgan elbows Reid in the stomach to stop him…but the damage is done. Emily turns and glares at her wife.

"I think you forgot to mention something, dear."

JJ glares at Reid then turns to her wife. "Just didn't have a chance, baby. Things here were a little crazy. I promise, I am okay. Not a scratch on me. And I will tell you all about it when we get home. Okay?"

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Okay, Agent Jareau. For now I'll just let you be Mommy Prentiss."

The others laugh. Emily looks at Reid.

"I can never thank you enough."

He shakes his head. "No thanks needed, Em. You'd do the same for me."

Emily nods. "In a heartbeat."

Morgan steps to the bed. "Uh, Em, can I, uh, hold my Goddaughter?"

Emily smiles. "Of course."

Morgan carefully takes the baby from Emily's arms. He stares down at the little girl. She slowly opens her eyes and seems to lock eyes with him. He knows she's too young to focus but he can't help but feel she is looking right into his soul. He kisses her forehead.

"Anything you need, little one, you just call on Uncle Derek. And I promise I will always have your mommies' backs. Always."

He is adjusting her gown when she grabs his finger in her tiny hand. All of them see the tears well in his eyes at the gesture. Garcia nudges Kevin.

"I think Derek Morgan is finally in love."

The others chuckle. Morgan nods. "Definitely." He looks at Emily. "She's beautiful, Em. Just a real doll."

"Thanks, Derek."

Emily yawns again…and so does Rocky. Garcia turns to the BAU. "Okay, boys, time to leave the baby and her mommies alone. They've had a big day. Time for them to rest."

"Thank you all so much for being here for us," Emily says. "It means more than I can say. Especially since it's Monday now and you have to be at work in a few hours."

Hotch chuckles. "I think I can let them come in at, say, 9:15 instead of 9 considering."

Rossi rolls his eyes. "Always so generous, Aaron."

The others laugh. They say their goodbyes and leave. Emily tries to nurse once more, this time switching to her left breast. As she suckles, Rocky opens her eyes, her little hand stretching out…and landing on the shamrock brand. Emily swallows nervously but the little girl just strokes it, as if trying to figure out by touch what it is. JJ leans over and kisses her wife's head.

"She's saying that you're hers, Emily. Just like I've said."

Emily smiles, tears in her eyes. "Yeah…yeah, she is." Emily then remembers the weird dream she had. "Jen? Did you ever break one of Amy's music boxes?"

JJ looks stunned and a bit confused. "Uh, yeah, actually. And I blamed the dog we had at the time. Why?"

Emily smiles, a warm feeling washing over her. "Long story. I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Uh, okay."

Soon JJ gets Rocky settled in the bassinette. She pulls out the futon, moving it close enough to Emily's bed that they can hold hands. Not surprisingly, Emily quickly drifts off to sleep. JJ lies there longer than she had expected to just being thankful that her wife and daughter were okay.

"I love you both so much," she whispers. "Thank you, God, for protecting them."

She gives Emily's hand a kiss and eventually follows them into slumber.


	10. Chapter 10

Emily smiles down at her daughter. Once again as she uses her left breast to nurse Rocky's hand strokes the brand. Emily just shakes her head.

"You don't know how much it means to me to see you claim me, little one," she whispers.

JJ walks out of the bathroom and sees the look of wonder on her wife's face. She smiles as she sees Rocky's hand.

"_Smart little girl already,"_ JJ thinks to herself. _"Somehow you knew your mother was scared of your response to that mark, didn't you. But you are claiming her just as I did. Good girl, Rocky. Make sure she knows how loved she is no matter what her past."_

JJ walks over and hitches a hip up on Emily's bed. She smiles. "She's a good eater."

Emily nods. "Yeah, she is." She tears her eyes away from Rocky to look at her wife. "Is Will on his way?"

"Yep. He can't wait to meet Rocky. And Henry is excited, too, though I don't think he completely understands why."

Emily smiles then it fades a bit. "I won't be able to hold him for a while, Jen. What if he thinks that means I don't love him?"

JJ kisses her wife's forehead. "That won't happen, Em. Even if you just cuddle with him in bed he will know you love him. I promise."

Emily nods nervously. "Yeah. Okay. We'll see."

JJ sighs, knowing Emily won't be completely convinced of this until she sees Henry. Luckily, within five minutes they hear a young boy hollering in the hallway.

"MOMMY! MAMA!"

JJ and Emily laugh. JJ moves to the door in time to hear Will.

"Now, Henry, you have to be quiet in the hospital, okay? And no yelling around Mama and Rocky. Okay?" Henry nods. Will smiles and kisses his head. "Good boy."

"Hey, Little Man," JJ calls.

Henry struggles to get out of Will's arms and run to JJ. "MOMMY!"

Will just shakes his head. "So much for quiet. Sorry, Jayje."

JJ lifts Henry up, exchanging hugs and kisses with him. "No problem. Hi, Will."

Will gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. Come on in."

Henry smiles as he sees Emily. "MAMA!"

"Hey, Champ. Ready to meet Rocky?"

Henry nods excitedly. JJ walks over and lets him kneel on the bed. Emily watches his eyes as he stares in wonder at his little sister.

"Henry, this is Rocky. Your little sister."

Henry reaches out tentatively towards the little girl. When she stretches his eyes get wide, as if he is watching a doll come to life. He looks at Emily, who smiles. He looks over his shoulder at his Mommy and Daddy, then back at the baby.

"Wok?"

"Yes, Henry, that's Rocky," JJ assures him.

Henry stares at her a moment, then leans over and gives her kiss on her covered leg. "Love Wok."

Emily smiles proudly. "She loves you, too, Champ."

Henry smiles at her. "Love Mama."

"I love you, too, Henry."

JJ helps him get close enough to give Emily a kiss. They hear a click and look up to see Will has snapped a family portrait. He shows it to them.

"Thanks, Will. It's beautiful," Emily says.

Will moves to the other side of the bed. "So are you." He gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Congratulations, Emily." He gazes down at Rocky. "She's gorgeous."

"I think so, too, but I've been told I might be a bit biased," Emily admits."

He laughs. "No bias needed. She's just a lovely as you think."

She takes his hand and gives it a squeeze. "Thank you. And thank you for giving up your morning with Henry to get here. It means a lot to me."

Will smiles. "My pleasure. Kinda wanted to meet my stepdaughter."

Emily chuckles. "Yeah, I guess she sort of is that for you, isn't she?"

Will nods. "It's how I'll see her. She's Henry's sister. That makes her as dear to me as he is."

JJ wipes the tear that escapes down her cheek. "Thanks, Will."

"Boo, Mommy?" Henry asks.

JJ smiles. "A little one. A Henry Hug should make it all better."

He throws himself into his Mommy's arms, kissing her cheek to make her boo-boo go away. While that is going on, Will pulls a present out of his overnight bag.

"By the way, I had planned to leave this for Rocky. Now I can happily give it to her in person."

JJ takes the gift. "Oh, Will, you shouldn't have."

Will grins slyly. "Trust me…I had to."

JJ raises an eyebrow and opens the gift. She starts to laugh. "No WAY is any daughter of mine wearing this!"

"What?" Emily asks.

JJ holds up a New Orleans Saints onesie. Emily starts to chuckle.

"That's football, right? It's pretty. I like the colors."

JJ just glares at her wife. She smiles at Will. "Thanks. We'll see if she can wear it next time you visit."

Will chuckles. "Figure it would go good with Henry's shirt. Show her, Henry."

Henry pulls off his sweatshirt to show his Drew Brees Jersey. "Who dat!" he says happily.

JJ groans. "Well…at least it's not the Giants, Cowboys or Eagles."

Emily looks at Will. "Still football?"

He nods. "Yep, still football."

"Good. Well, since she was practicing her kicking skills the last 2 months it may not be far fetched to think she could play for one of those teams some day. Will be a shame if Jen has to disown her if she plays for the wrong team."

Will and JJ laugh. Will glances at his watch.

"I hate to say this but I need to go. Got a call last night from the captain. He needs me back as soon as possible. Should I take Henry to Garcia's?"

JJ shakes her head. "Nah, he can stay. The grandparents will probably be here soon anyway."

Will gives them all a hug and a kiss. He promises Henry he'll be back for Halloween. Henry just nods…having no clue what that is. Soon the four family members are alone. JJ wraps Henry up in a hug as he sits on the side of the bed.

"So, Henry, do you think Rocky is pretty?"

He nods. "Love Wok."

JJ kisses his temple. "She loves you, too, Little Man. She loves you, too." She then looks at her wife. "So, ready to tell me about the music box?"

Emily sighs, shifting Rocky slightly to give herself time to think. She finally looks up at JJ. "You're going to think I'm nuts. But listen to the whole story before judging, okay?"

JJ nods. "Sure."

Emily tells her about the strange journey she had taken after birth, and even the dream she had before JJ had arrived at the hospital. As she finishes she shakes her head. "I just thought it was a dream. Then she told me to tell you she loves you and forgives you for the music box."

By the end of the story, JJ is in tears. Henry is hugging her, patting her shoulder comfortingly. Emily reaches a hand towards JJ.

"Jen?"

JJ takes the hand. "When I was 9 I was playing with this pretty music box Amy had gotten from our grandparents. I wasn't supposed to and, of course, I dropped it. It broke the lid off. To cover my butt, I put it in the dog's bed, never thinking about the fact that if the dog had chewed it up there would be teeth marks."

Emily grins. "So you weren't exactly a master criminal in the making."

JJ chuckles. "Definitely not. Good thing I spend my time catching the bad guys instead of being one." JJ bites her lip. "You couldn't have known that, Em. I don't know what exactly to make of your…your experience. But I do know that if she helped you even a little during that time then I need to thank her profusely the next time I have a chat with her."

Emily smiles and nods. "Definitely."

* * *

At 9:30 Emily is just getting back in bed after being up to stretch her legs a bit. When the door opens her eyes brighten to see Mark and Shelby.

"Hi!'

JJ turns and sees them. "Mark! Shelby! I thought you weren't going to be able to get down here until the weekend?"

Mark smiles. "Are you kidding? After the scare Emily and Rocky gave us we had to come."

"Where are Abby and AJ?" JJ asks.

"They are with Grandma Liz and Grandpa Gerald getting a treat," Shelby explains.

Mark is staring down at the bassinette. He looks at JJ and smiles. "She's beautiful, Jenny."

JJ throws her arms around her brother's shoulders. "Thank you, Mark. Thank you so much."

He returns the hug, as choked up as she is. "Glad to do it, Jenny. I am so happy for you and Emily."

Shelby smiles at Emily. "She has your eye shape but that is definitely Jareau blue."

Emily smiles and nods. "I know. If she keeps the dark hair she'll be a perfect black Irish princess."

Mark walks over and gives Emily a hug and kiss. "I am so happy for you, Em."

"Thanks, Mark. You have given us a gift we can never match."

"I knew you two would love a child with all you have in you. It was an easy decision to make."

They share another hug as Shelby lifts Rocky out of the bassinette. "Hi, Rocky, I'm your Aunt Shelby. Welcome to the crazy Jareau-Prentiss world."

JJ grins. "Isn't that the truth."

* * *

By noon, all the family members are there…and Emily is asking when she can go home. JJ rolls her eyes.

"Emily, you had a C-section late last night. Give your body a break, baby."

"But I can rest so much better at home," Emily whines.

"Emily, don't whine. It's unbecoming," Elizabeth scolds.

Emily rolls her eyes, her bottom lip pouting out. "I'm not whining."

JJ raises an eyebrow. "Emily, trust me, you're whining."

As if in answer to her prayers, Dr. Manton walks into the room to check her patients.

"Dr. Manton! I can go home soon, right?" Emily asks excitedly.

Kendle looks from Emily to JJ. "Is she serious?"

JJ sighs. "Sadly, yes."

Kendle walks up to her patients' side. "Emily, last night you had a C-section after a rough pregnancy, you had severe bleeding resulting in getting 5 pints of blood, and I dare say you scared the crap out of all of us. Hell no you're not going home soon."

Emily slumps back in the bed. "But I feel fine! And my blood pressure and heart rate are normal now."

Kendle raises an eyebrow. "God, save me from difficult patients," she mutters. "Emily, you're here at least tonight. If, and only if, all your blood glucose levels are normal will you go home tomorrow. Also, this will give us a chance to watch for post-operative infections since you did have a troubled pregnancy which makes your immune system a little weaker than normal. And so help me if you don't behave I'll order you a week long stay. Do I make myself clear?"

JJ wraps her arms around the doctor. "Is there any wonder why I love this woman almost as much as I love my wife?"

The whole room, including Emily, can't help but laugh. Emily gives a resigned sigh.

"Okay, one more night at least. Um…Jen can stay, right?"

JJ walks over and kisses her wife. "Try to get me out of here."

By 1 p.m. Emily has fallen asleep. Those in the room talk and chat, the new mother completely oblivious to them. At 2, Declan and Tom show up. JJ gently wakes her wife.

"Em? Dec and Tom are here."

Emily sleepily opens her eyes. She smiles at the nervous boy. "Hey, Dec. How are you doing?"

Declan lets out the breath he'd been holding. "I'm fine. What about you and Rocky?"

"Both doing great, Dec. I promise."

Dec walks over and gives Emily a big hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," he whispers. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too, Dec. Go meet Rocky."

Dec smiles and stands. He walks over to where his dad is holding the baby. He grins.

"She's so small."

Tom smiles. "Yes, she is. But they all start out like this. Then once the growth spurts start it's all you can do to keep them in clothes that fit."

Dec chuckles. "Yeah, I know. Sorry about that, Dad."

Tom grins. He looks over at Emily. "She's a beauty, Emily. She'll have boys beating down the door to date her."

Emily grabs her stomach as it does a flip. "Oh, God…let's not even go there yet."

* * *

By 10 that night the Jareau's, Prentiss', and Colter's are gone. The BAU has been and gone. Francesca had been by with Stephen Hill promising the get the cleaning service in the next morning to spruce up the house in preparation for the baby's homecoming.

JJ finishes changing Rocky's diaper and smiles at Emily. "Were Henry's diapers this small?"

Emily grins. "I think so. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Very." JJ walks over and sits on the edge of Emily's bed. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Emily smiles, her hand stroking JJ's hair. "I can always stand to hear it again."

JJ leans forward and gives her a gentle kiss. "I love you, Emily Prentiss. Thank you for being my wife, for being a wonderful mother to Henry, for bringing Rocky into our lives, and for so much more. I can't imagine my life without you in it."

"I know the feeling." She sighs. "So…you going to tell me what happened in Georgia?"

"Damn…you didn't forget Reid's slip up."

"Nope. Pregnancy hormones are gone. Mind is back to normal."

JJ smiles and strokes a hand through Emily's hair. "Let me reiterate that I am perfectly fine. Not a scratch on me."

"But…" Emily prompts.

JJ lifts Emily's left hand and kisses the wedding band. She explains the team tailing the unsub and her trek into the woods to spy on the house.

"I was in contact with them the whole time, Em. Until Bert made me drop my phone and gun. He then shot my phone."

"Son of a bitch, Jen," Emily says, imagining what he could have shot instead.

"Emily, I am right here. He didn't shoot me. He knew he had to find out what I knew; what the team knew. I was out in the woods with a psychopath. The true danger was the sociopath inside."

"Gee, absolutely no comfort in that statement, Agent Jareau," Emily points out.

JJ grins. "I know." JJ finishes telling the story. "So thankfully my gift of gab kept me alive and well. And it gave us the insight into Martha Castle we needed. At least, I hope it did. Not really sure what happened after I decked her."

Emily blurts out a laugh. "You decked her? When?"

"In the interrogation room. I have to admit, though you may smack me for it, I let her shove me into the wall to justify punching her. Even let her get another swipe in before knocking her out for good."

Emily stares at her wife a moment then laughs. "You, Mrs. Prentiss, can be one scary, scary little woman."

JJ grins. "And don't you forget it, Mrs. Prentiss."

She leans in and gives Emily a deep kiss. It ends when Rocky starts to fuss. Emily smiles.

"Sounds like someone is hungry."

"Sounds like." JJ walks over and lifts up the little girl. "Hungry, sweetheart? I bet Mama has just what you need."

Emily takes her daughter, once more in awe of the little girl's immediate understanding of what to do.

"You know, it amazed me with Henry. I thought it would be old hat but it still so damn amazing to watch," Emily whispers.

"Yeah, it is."

They watch her a moment. Emily looks up at her wife. "So, you think your first case back with the team you'll meet someone as wonderful as Viper?"

JJ laughs. "Only if you are lucky. Wonder if I could bribe the team to not say a word if I do?"

"Anything you can offer I can double," Emily points out.

"Hmm…good point. We'll just have to see then, won't we."

"Yes, we certainly will."


	11. Chapter 11

Tuesday afternoon Emily and Rocky are finally released from the hospital. As JJ drives them home (thanks to Reid and Morgan dropping off the Lexus on Monday) Emily sits in the backseat beside their daughter. JJ smiles.

"I remember sitting in back with Henry. Suddenly no car seems safe enough you know?"

Emily smiles. "I know. That's why I traded my sedan for this. Hey, speaking of which, the information you asked for is in the bedroom office. Why the sudden change of heart?"

JJ sighs and tells her about the lawyer and his accident. "I mean, I know it's a 1 in a million chance to get into an accident like that but still I just need something bigger, safer."

"Whatever you need for peace of mind, Jen. After that story I'm damn close to demanding you buy a tank."

JJ laughs. "That would get great gas mileage. Not to mention the issues it would cause on my commute and trying to get onto Quantico."

Emily grins. "True. But it's a thought."

The Camry in question is in the driveway so JJ pulls right into the garage. She has not even put the car in park before the door to the house is open and two grandmother's hurry out to the car to help them get inside.

"Where's my girl?" Elizabeth asks.

"I'm right here, Mom," Emily answers.

"Here she is!" Elizabeth says, completely ignoring her daughter to get to her granddaughter.

"Gee, thanks, Mom," Emily chuckles.

"Get used to it, Em. You know how my mom is with Henry," JJ points out.

Emily nods. "True. Geez."

JJ and Sandy assist Emily into the house. She insists on staying in the living room.

"I'm sick of bed rest. I want to connect with human beings again."

JJ laughs. "Then connect you will, baby."

Gerald comes in and sits down beside his daughter. "How you feeling, Emmy?"

She leans into his hug. "Sore and achy but so incredibly happy it should be illegal."

He kisses her forehead. "I remember the feeling."

She turns and looks at him. "Yeah?"

He nods, his eyes twinkling with emotion. "Oh, yeah. Tua figlia è bella proprio come sua madre.*

Emily smiles. "Grazie, Padre. Essa sarà tanto amata."**

He gives her a hug. "So bene che ella, Emily. So bene che ella.***

JJ grins. "Note to self: Buy Rosetta Stone, Italian edition. Otherwise I will never be able to communicate with my wife or children."

Emily chuckles and looks at her father. "Has Henry shown you his Italian yet?"

Gerald laughs. "Si, he has. Egli è adorabile.****

JJ just laughs. "Now I know what Derek means when he says he gets worried you're talking about him. I'm just going into the other room now."

Emily reaches out a hand to her wife. "Not speaking about you, sweetheart. I promise. If we were it would be nothing but good."

JJ smiles and leans down to kiss her wife. "Charmer."

"Always."

After JJ leaves, Emily looks at her father. "Did the papers come from my lawyers?"

"Yes, they arrived yesterday. I glanced over them and everything is okay. They just need your signature."

"Good. But I need to go over them with Jen first. I sort of did things without her knowledge before. That's not right, especially since she is really making an effort to understand the whole Prentiss thing. I never even mentioned what I did for Abby and AJ. She found out while talking to Mark. I need to be more…more open with this stuff. I didn't mean to hide it from her I just…did it. If I keep just doing stuff it will drive her away from me."

Gerald gives his daughter a hug. "Don't do that. I dare say you have found your soul mate in Jennifer Jareau Prentiss. Don't ruin it like I nearly did."

Emily smiles. "I won't, Dad. I promise."

* * *

That evening Emily sits in the recliner giving Rocky her last meal before bedtime. JJ lies on the bed, Henry curled up beside her. The blonde strokes her fingers through Henry's hair, just watching her wife and daughter.

Emily glances up at her. "Quarter for your thoughts?"

JJ smiles. "Last time Pen upped it to a dollar."

Emily rolls her eyes. "I'll up it to an AmEx black."

JJ laughs. "And we have a winner." Emily winks. "Honestly, I was just sitting here wondering how I got so lucky. I just…never dreamed all this. And I don't mean the fancy house and the money. I mean the love of a wonderful woman, two amazing children, and an extended family that I know I could count on for anything I need. Heck, I even have the job I wanted ever since I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. What the heck do you do when your reality exceeds your dreams?"

Emily smiles at her wife, her guiding force, the love of her life. "You just thank God and never, ever take it all for granted."

JJ smiles. "I think I can do that. Is she all done?"

Emily nods. "Looks like it."

JJ gets up and moves to her wife's side. She takes their daughter and gives her a few pats until she gets a rather dainty burp. Emily chuckles.

"Geez, Mother must have already explained a lady doesn't burp loudly."

JJ just grins and tucks her into the bassinette at the foot of the bed. "Let me take Little Man to his room."

"He can stay."

"Em, he could kick or hit your incision by accident."

Emily frowns. "Oh. Right. I hate that."

"It won't be long until he can spend the night with us. Promise."

Emily just nods. She gets up and gets herself cleaned up and ready for bed. As she lies down in their bed she sighs. It was so much more comfy than the hospital bed.

When JJ crawls into bed Emily remembers a better reason to love this bed. JJ snuggles up against Emily, careful of her middle.

"Jennifer Prentiss, I love you so much," Emily whispers. "I love everything about you, including just cuddling with you at night. Tu eres mi mundo. Te amo."

JJ gives her a kiss. "Now and always, Emily. I love you."

And so, safe at home with their children, the horrors of the world shut out for the moment, they fall asleep in love's embrace.

* * *

**Per Babylon translator:**

***Your daughter is beautiful just like her mother.**

****Thank you, Father. She will be loved so much.  
**

*****I know she will, Emily. I know she will.**

******He's adorable. **


	12. Chapter 12

"Well?" Emily asks impatiently.

Kendle Manton chuckles. "Always so impatient. Temperature is normal, her height and weight are perfect, and her bodily fluids look to be processing just fine. All in all, everything we evaluate at this stage is looking good. Rocky is perfect."

Emily smiles, her hand stroking over the leg of the week old baby her wife holds. "I thought so but it's good to have it confirmed."

Kendle chuckles. "She's just as strong as I expected her to be after all she has been through. I just wanted to check her at 1 week instead of 2 since there were some complications and concerns."

JJ nods. "We understand, Doc. We probably would have insisted just based on everything we read."

Kendle grins. "Yeah, the more adept at Googling a parent is the more they demand appointments. As long as the baby's health is the priority I have absolutely no problem with that."

"Good. Because if we haven't Googled it, Garcia has. And she'd have kicked our butts if we weren't here so soon," JJ says with a grin. "Now, what about the mama?"

"So, Emily, is the vaginal discharge easing?"

Emily nods. "Yep."

"Any prolonged or severe pain in your abdomen or around the incision?"

"Nope. But I have a pretty high threshold for pain."

"I can believe that. So any moderate pain for your tolerance?"

"Not really. But I'm not doing any lifting, being careful when I sneeze to support the incision and I have mastered nursing on my side."

Kendle laughs. "I believe that, too." She consults her notes. "My P.A. said the staples came out with no problem. That's good. You seem to be doing quite well. So, do you have any questions for me?"

"Still insisting on 5 more weeks before we can have sex?" Emily asks.

JJ turns bright red. "EM! Geez…"

Kendle laughs. "I am afraid so. Emily, when do you go back to work?"

"I have 5 more weeks maternity leave. If I need more time to recover from the C-Section I have plenty of comp time to use."

"Good. Don't feel you have to rush it." She stares at her a minute then looks at JJ. "If she begs to work from home let me know and I can get you a powerful sedative to control her with."

Emily and JJ burst out laughing. JJ nods. "I will do that, Doc. Thank you."

"No problem. And since I pride myself on being a physician for the whole family, how is Henry doing with all the changes?"

JJ smiles. "He has his ups and downs. He doesn't understand why Em can't play with him like she used to and he really doesn't like it when his little sister throws a tantrum. Neither do Sergio or Alaska. But mostly he loves her, even sings his favorite Elmo songs to her."

Kendle smiles. "Wonderful. And I know sex isn't in the equation, but have you two had time for each other? And I'm not talking about waiting on your wife, Jennifer. I'm talking about time to just be together."

JJ and Emily exchange a smile. "Yes, we have. I took last week off and took off this morning so work wasn't a factor we had to deal with. When the kids were down for naps we could reconnect with each other. It's been wonderful, actually."

Kendle nods. "Great! You two are a strong couple. I'm glad to see you haven't lost sight of that as your family has expanded. Then if you have no more questions for me I'll see you all in two weeks."

JJ nods. "Sounds good."

The Prentiss' stand. Kendle gives them a hug, smiling down at Rocky. "Now, you keep defying the odds, little one. I know you'll be a force to be reckoned with."

Emily smiles. "Of course she will be. She's a Prentiss."

JJ rolls her eyes as Kendle chuckles. When they get out to JJ's new red Hummer, Emily smiles.

"I still can't believe you bought a Hummer," she teases.

JJ shrugs, smiling. "It's the H3 so it's a bit smaller than what I was used to driving but it feels safe. It's hell on gas mileage, though."

"Yeah, I know. But as long as you feel safe driving it that's all that matters."

Once they have Rocky in her car seat and are settled themselves, JJ reaches over and squeezes her wife's hand.

"I love you, Em. Thank you so much for…for my life."

Emily lifts the hand and gives it a kiss. "Thank you for agreeing to walk with me in this at times crazy world I inhabit. I love you, too.

* * *

JJ places her new picture frame on her desk. She smiles as images of Rocky, Emily, Henry and the rest of their family start to scroll through. She is so lost in the images she doesn't even realize anyone is behind her.

"She's beautiful, Agent Jareau."

JJ turns in her chair, smiling up at Chief Straus. "Thank you, ma'am. I think so, too, but I am probably a little biased."

Straus chuckles. "I think that's allowed. Tell Emily I am very happy for you both."

JJ nods. "Thank you, ma'am."

Straus pats JJ on the shoulder and heads to her own office. JJ watches her go.

"Pod person," she whispers to herself with a grin.

When Reid gets back from lunch he smiles at her. "Hey! Welcome back…again."

JJ chuckles. "Yeah, I guess I have been gone more than I've been here lately. But I promise I will always come back."

He nods as he sits down. "Good to know. And, now," he tosses 4 folders towards her, "get to work. I'm tired of carrying the department."

JJ laughs as she puts the files on her desk. "Gladly."

A little after 5 she closes her final case file, sends an email off to Garcia asking her to run a search of recently paroled vandals that have a psychopathology that can lead to arson." She straightens up her desk and prepares to leave.

"JJ, how you doing?"

JJ smiles up at Hotch. "Doing fine, Hotch."

He nods. "Good. I wanted to stop by earlier but I've been stuck in a budget meeting all day." He grins. "Turns out our cell phone budget is well into the red this year."

JJ starts to laugh. "Gee, I can't imagine why. We're always so careful with them."

He chuckles. "Yeah, just what I told them. They didn't buy it." He glances around, confirming they are alone. "All is good with being back? Even if we have to go away?"

JJ nods. "Yes. Emily and I talked a long time about that last night. She's past the birth, Rocky and she both had perfect check-ups today, things are good. Now, am I going to hide my face so you don't see me crying the first time we go? Of course. But I'll be there, Hotch. For the team and for the victims. I promise."

He nods. "Good to hear. So can you smack Turner with your credentials tomorrow? Idiot sent me his resume…again."

JJ starts to laugh. "So that makes 3 times?"

"Yes. Take care of him, Jareau."

JJ nods. "Happily, sir." She stands and pulls out her purse. "Have a good night, Hotch."

"You, too. Oh, and, nice Hummer."

She frowns. "How did you know it was mine?"

"Two car seats and no Camry in sight. And I read the report of Mr. Watt, too. Not to mention I've been a profiler longer than you've been in the Bureau," he finishes with a grin.

JJ shrugs. "What can I say? Safety took on a whole new meaning after that visit with Watt."

Hotch just nods and goes to his office. JJ takes the elevator downstairs. As she starts across the lobby, she sees Agent Michael Turner, who had insulted her in his quest to take her job as profiler.

"Hey! Turner!" she calls out before she can stop herself.

He turns and smiles, trying to place her. "Uh, hi? You are…?"

"Agent Jareau, BAU." She holds up her credentials. "I'm the new profiler up there. Stop bugging my boss, Turner. Or else."

Turner blushes. "But, uh, I…I thought you were just a liaison," he says, with NO clue how much that endangers his life.

She steps into his personal space. "I am an FBI agent with more certifications and commendations than you could even dream about. Try to take my position again, annoy my boss with your resume again, and you will find out just how high I qualified in hand-to-hand combat."

He wisely looks nervous as she spins and continues on to her car. In the driver's seat, she texts Hotch.

_"Turner taken care of. Think he left a puddle in the lobby. Tell maintenance I apologize. Sort of."_

Hotch reads the text and bursts out laughing. He shakes his head as he responds back.

_"As long as it's not a puddle of blood, well done, Profiler."_

JJ chuckles as she puts her Hummer in gear and heads for home.

* * *

When she gets there she smells Francesca's baked ziti and her stomach starts to growl. She stops in the kitchen.

"Francesca, I love you."

The Italian woman smiles at the blonde. "Cara, I thought you would need your favorite meal for your first day back. I guessed right?"

JJ grins and kisses her cheek. "Any day is a good day for your baked ziti. Trust me."

JJ heads upstairs to get changed. As she gets close to her room she hears Henry babbling away. She carefully peeks her head into the room. He has his book of myths open on his lap and appears to be "reading" it to Emily and Rocky. Emily lies on her side, giving Rocky her dinner. JJ's heart nearly explodes.

"Good reading, Henry," she praises as she walks in.

Henry looks up, smiling. "Wok love."

She smiles. "She loves you, too." JJ leans over and kisses her wife's temple, running a hand down Rocky's side. "Do you have a hug for Mommy, Henry?"

He nods and jumps up, running to the end of the bed to leap into her arms. "Love Mommy!"

JJ grunts as she catches him. "OOOO! You're getting to be such a big boy! You need to stop growing so much."

He just grins and gives her a big kiss on the cheek. "Love Mommy," he reiterates.

"I love you, too. You ready for dinner?" He nods happily. "Me, too. How about you finish reading to Rocky and Mama while I get changed?"

He nods and she sets him on the bed. She watches as he picks up his book and again starts a narrative only he (and maybe Rocky) understands. JJ looks at Emily, who just watches him proudly.

Yep…JJ's heart is still in danger of bursting.

* * *

"Have Garcia check kids who have run away from foster homes, too," Emily says.

JJ stops getting ready for bed, frowning. "Why?" she asks, using this as an opportunity to learn.

"Sometimes kids who feel they have nothing and no connection to a community lash out at those who have what they don't. The type of arsons you describe sound more like semi-personal attacks versus attacks just to cause a stir."

Standing in the bathroom, JJ turns that idea over in her head a minute. "Damn…you're right. I hadn't thought of that."

Emily smiles. "Jen, you're still learning. Until you see some types of cases in person a lot of what you learned is just words on a page. And for as much as you listened to us, you also admit you tuned us out a lot."

JJ grins. "True."

She strips off her shirt and bra in one go. Emily feels a tightening between her legs.

"But with what you just said I think I know what was bothering me so much about my initial ideas."

She pulls off her sweatpants and underwear. Emily feels her nipples harden. And when JJ knocks something of the counter and bends to pick it up, Emily moves in.

She grabs JJ by the hips, gently thrusting her center against her wife's butt.

"EMILY! Stop! We can't!"

JJ stands and tries to pull away. Emily kisses up her neck, one hand going to her wife's breasts.

"I can't." She pinches a nipple. "I don't think you are under any such restriction."

JJ, reluctantly…painfully, stills the hand at her breast. "No, Em…I can't…not when you're still recovering."

"Please, Jen. I need you," Emily begs.

JJ turns in her wife's arms. "No, Emily. I could never forgive myself if I hurt you even by accident."

Emily moans and steps away. "You're right. I'm sorry, Jen. That wasn't fair to you."

JJ smiles and takes her wife's hands. "I seem to remember doing the same thing to you soon after Henry was born. You showed amazing self-control when my hormones were raging still. I'm just returning the favor."

Emily leans forward and gives her wife a chaste kiss. "I love you, Jennifer."

"I love you, too, Em."

Soon the two crawl into bed. Emily looks at her wife.

"There is one thing I insist on tonight."

"Oh? What's that?"

"I want to spoon up against you. I've missed being able to hold you right up against me."

JJ smiles and nods. "I've missed that, too. I mean, it was nice when you spooned me while pregnant but it will be nice not to have Rocky giving my kidneys a good pounding."

JJ and Emily share another kiss. JJ then rolls to her right side, allowing Emily to squeeze in close behind her. Emily sighs happily.

"I love you so much, Jen."

"I love you, too, Emily. So very much."

A tear slips silently down JJ's cheek as she remembers nearly losing her wife just 8 days before. Emily senses the emotion and pulls JJ closer.

"I'm okay, Jennifer. And so is Rocky. Forget the fear just…just accept that we are both here for you to love."

JJ just nods, not trusting her voice. She lifts Emily's hand and kisses it. Emily snuggles a little closer and soon both women are fast asleep.


	13. Chapter 13

The weekend of their anniversary, Emily and JJ pack up their children and head to the beach condo that belongs to a friend. Though champagne and wedding finery have been replaced by sippy cups of juice and diapers, they are looking forward to the weekend.

Emily rubs her hand up JJ's thigh. "I'm so happy you got back from the case in time, baby."

JJ smiles. "Me, too. If Reid hadn't figured out that insane logarithm code we may not have."

Emily is curious. "What logarithm code?"

JJ laughs. "Oh, no, nerd of mine. Not going to let you ponder anything work related while we are on our mini vacation."

Emily chuckles. "You're no fun."

"Mommy? Ska!" Henry says.

JJ sighs. "Henry, Ska is staying home with Franny and Sergio. It's just the four of us, Little Man."

Henry sighs. "Ska…" he says sadly.

JJ glances at her wife. "Since you always make me point out when I'm glad we have him can I point out to you when our son prefers the dog to us?"

Emily laughs. "Seems only fair."

"Good. He wants Alaska instead of us, Em. Nice call on the puppy," she says with a mock scowl.

Emily turns around and looks at her son, who sits behind her. "Did you hear Mommy pick on me, Champ?"

Henry wags his finger at JJ. "Bad Mommy. Mama love."

Emily smiles smugly as she turns back around. JJ just shakes her head.

"Stockholm Syndrome at work," the blonde mutters.

"Yep. And I'm not a damn bit sorry about it," Emily confirms.

* * *

Later that afternoon they are walking along a pier. It is an unseasonably mild day so they are just in windbreakers. Henry holds Emily's hand as JJ carries Rocky in a kangaroo pouch.

"Mama!" Henry calls, pointing to a man fishing off the side. He looks at her in confusion.

"He's fishing, Henry. Want to see if he's caught anything?"

Henry nods so they make their way to the man. Emily smiles at him.

"Hi. Any luck?"

The man smiles. "A little." He glances at Henry. "His first time at the pier?"

Emily nods. "Yep. He has no clue what you're doing."

The man chuckles. "I have a grandson about his age." He kneels beside his cooler. "Come take a look."

Emily and Henry walk over. The man opens the cooler lid and a couple of fish swim in the water inside. Henry frowns and looks at his mother in confusion.

"Wow! Those are big fish, aren't they, Henry?" Henry nods. She smiles at the man. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." He reaches into the cooler, slips is fingers in the gills of one and lifts it out. Henry's eyes get huge and he stumbles back into the safety of his Mama's arms. The man smiles. "Want to pet him, Henry?"

Henry looks at Emily. She gently lifts his little hand and strokes it down the fish. Henry wiggles and giggles at the sensation. Emily grins as the man puts it back in the cooler.

"That was neat, wasn't it, Henry?" Henry nods. Emily looks at the man. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Come back and see me again some time, Henry."

Henry just nods. Before Emily can stop him he gives the man a big hug. The man returns it, tears in his eyes. Emily studies him, the profiler within her coming out.

"How long has it been since you've seen your grandson?" she asks kindly.

He looks away. "Never in person. My son and I…we don't…I mean…he sent me a picture."

Emily reaches out and takes his hand. "My parents and I were estranged for a lot of years." She ruffles Henry's hair. "Henry brought us back together. Give you son a call. At least try. Do it for your grandson."

The man smiles. "Maybe I will. Thank you."

Emily nods and stands. She takes Henry's hand and they continue down the pier with JJ. JJ nudges her wife's shoulder.

"That was sweet."

"Yeah, Henry was cute with that fish."

JJ chuckles. "He was adorable. But I meant what you said to that man. I hope he listens to you."

"Me, too."

Emily wraps her arm around her wife's shoulder as they get to the end of the pier. They look out over the sea, watching the waves, the seagulls, and even fish jumping in the water below them.

As they wander back, they see the fisherman on his cell phone. He smiles at Emily and gives her a thumbs up. She smiles back, nodding.

"And Agent Prentiss saves another one," JJ says proudly.

"I hope so, Jen. I really hope so."

* * *

Emily finishes feeding and burping Rocky. As she lays her sleeping daughter down she kisses her head.

"I love you, sweet girl. You and Henry mean more to me than I can ever express in words."

She goes back to the kitchen to find her wife had been busy after getting Henry to bed. Candles light up a table set for 2. JJ wears a little black dress similar to the one she had worn on their first date (except that one had been a maternity size!). Emily smiles.

"Jennifer…you look…stunning!"

Emily looks down at her sweats and nursing blouse. She blushes. JJ sees the embarrassment and walks over.

"You look gorgeous, Emily."

"Jen, I'm wearing—"

"The outfit that allows you to care for our daughter." She finishes for her, giving her a deep kiss. "You look gorgeous," she states again.

Emily smiles. "Thank you."

"Do you remember our first date?"

Emily wraps her arms around JJ's waist. "Yes. I took you to Hogate's on the Potomac. We talked and ate a wonderful meal. I then took you to a private dance club and we danced until you were too tired to keep going."

JJ nods. "That's right. I can't recreate the wonderful dinner from that night but I hope you like how I improvised."

Emily looks into the kitchen, smiling. "The Comfort Special. Perfect, baby."

"And since you're still on wine restriction, I _could_ recreate what you did for me that night." She points to the ice bucket with two bottles of sparkling cider.

Emily smiles and kisses her wife. "Perfect, baby. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too. Now sit and let me serve you tonight."

Emily nods and takes her seat. JJ brings their dinners over. She pours out the cider. They enjoy a wonderful dinner, talking about everything except work, laughing at shared memories, and just reconnecting on several levels. When dinner is done, JJ pulls Emily up.

"So, I talked to Dr. Manton before we left."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Oh?"

JJ nods. "Yes." She kisses her wife deeply. When it ends, her eyes are cobalt with desire. "I know sex is still off the table, so to speak," she says with a wink. Emily grins. "But she said slow dancing, maybe some kissing, a few caresses are all what the doctor ordered."

Emily smiles. "I love my doctor!"

JJ hits play on her iPod. The attached speakers immediately start to play Savage Garden's "I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You." Emily smiles and pulls JJ close. She strokes a hand through JJ's carefully done locks.

"I love you, Jennifer. Thank you for this night and every night."

JJ gives her wife a small kiss. "Thank you for giving me my daughter, for loving my son, for being my wife." She kisses her again. "Thank you just for being you, Emily."

The two continue to dance, exchanging small kisses interspersed with kisses deep enough to make them both gasp for breath. They are in the middle of one of those passionate kisses when JJ's feels the zipper of her dress start to go down. She pulls away.

"Emily…I want to…but no…it's not fair to you."

Her words break off as Emily slides her hand into the now open dress, caressing warm skin. JJ moans at the contact. Her hips thrust automatically as Emily undoes her bra. Emily's tongue dives into her wife's mouth as she eases the dress down, letting it fall to the floor. JJ pushes against her shoulders.

"But, Em…"

"I'm a big girl, Jennifer. I know what I'm doing." She kisses her again. "I need you, Jen. Please let me make love to you."

Emily kneads JJ's breasts with her hands. JJ moans at the touch…and at the desire in her wife's eyes.

"I love you, Emily Prentiss."

Emily accepts that as a yes and brings her mouth to JJ's chest.

"OH! Oh, baby, yessss…" JJ hisses, bringing a leg up to wrap around Emily's hip. Emily groans, feeling the garter belt and thigh high stockings her wife wears. As her hand moves to JJ's waist, she groans again. She lifts her eyes to the cobalt eyes of JJ.

"No underwear…just how much did you plan to protest?"

JJ grins, her hips thrusting against Emily's hand. "Just…didn't want…to mess…with dress lines."

Emily grins, letting her hand dip into the warm, wet curls. JJ moans as her throbbing clit feels her wife's touch for the first time in far too long.

"Ohhhh…Emmmm…"

That shatters Emily's plan to go slowly. With a growl she thrusts 2 fingers into her wife, her mouth sucking and nipping at her wife's chest.

"OH, EM!"

"MAMA! NO BITE! NO!"

Emily and JJ split apart. JJ quickly grabs her dress, using it as a shield as Emily covers her as best she can.

"HENRY! Oh, shiiii….uh…crap…" Emily mutters. She steps towards her son. "Henry, it's okay. I wasn't biting Mommy. I promise."

Henry is FURIOUS. "NO! BAD MAMA! TIME OUT! NO BITE!"

Emily glances over her shoulder and sees JJ struggling to get the dress back on. Emily rolls her eyes and steps closer to their little boy.

"Henry, I love your Mommy. I was…was kissing her and…and I was…Jen, are you dressed yet?" Emily asks as she sees Henry does NOT believe her.

JJ steps around Emily and kneels in front of Henry. He throws himself into her arms. "Mama bite! Love Mommy! Bad Mama!"

JJ smiles. "I love you, too, Henry. But Mama wasn't biting me. I promise, Henry. She was kissing me."

Henry shakes his head, his hand patting his Mommy as if to comfort her. "Mama bite," he says softy.

Emily sighs and drops down into a chair. "I've scared him, Jen. I'm sorry."

"Stop, Em, not your fault. Could have been the other way around." JJ stands with Henry in her arms. "I'll talk to him, baby."

Emily just nods as the two blonde's head back to Henry's bedroom. Emily folds her arms on the table and drops her head onto them. If Henry hadn't been so upset it might have been funny.

Twenty minutes later JJ walks in. Emily is in the same position at the table. JJ starts to massage her shoulders.

"He's okay, Em. I promise."

Emily sits up, bringing her hands up to JJ's. "I'm sorry, Jen. I shouldn't have done that in here. I wasn't thinking about the fact he is in a toddler bed instead of a crib. I just…I wanted you so badly. I'm sorry."

JJ moves to Emily's side and forces her wife to look into her eyes. "Never, ever say you are sorry for loving me, Emily. I wouldn't accept it when shit about your past came up and I sure as hell am not going to accept it when the misunderstanding is about your desire for me. It seems horrible now but in a few days we will be laughing about this. All kids interrupt their parents. He'll forget all about it in a few days."

Emily sighs. "With my luck he'll remember in front of Derek and I'll never hear the end of it."

JJ grins. "Most likely. Welcome to the sometimes embarrassing world of parenting."

Emily finally manages to chuckle. "I love you, Jen. I _am_ sorry he caught us. But I am not sorry for loving you."

JJ gives her a gentle kiss. "Good. Now, how about we go to bed?"

"Okay." Emily allows JJ to pull her up. As they start to walk, Emily stops and holds JJ a moment. "You know you're not getting lucky tonight, right?"

JJ smiles at her wife. "As long as I can go to sleep with you in my arms I _am_ lucky."

Emily smiles. "Charmer."

JJ winks. "I learned from the best."

Emily chuckles and they continue on to the bedroom they are using. And though JJ doesn't get laid that night, she does indeed fall asleep in a loving, lucky embrace.


	14. Chapter 14

"SO! How was the anniversary weekend? I want to know EVERYTHING!" Garcia squeals at JJ as the profiler steps off the elevator on Tuesday.

JJ smiles. "It was wonderful. We walked in the sand and on the pier. Henry even got to pet a real live fish. We—"

"But the sex, Jayje! What about the sex?" Garcia says.

JJ turns bright red and looks around to confirm they are alone. "Do you EVER censor your questions?"

Garcia thinks a moment. "Uh, nope. Never. Why?"

JJ stares at her best friend a minute and starts to laugh. "And I wouldn't have you any other way. How about lunch and I fill you in on why sex didn't happen."

Garcia stares at her in horror. "Oh God! Lesbian Bed Death! I'm so sorry, Jayje!" she says as she pulls her into a hug.

JJ laughs. "Garcia, no, not that. Just…long story. I promise to tell you at lunch if you promise not to tease Emily about it."

Garcia stares at JJ a second. JJ sees the wheels turning. "JJ, you know I am now going to spend the entire damn morning wondering why Emily couldn't get it up."

JJ laughs…as she walks away, leaving Garcia pondering…

When she gets to her desk, JJ plugs a flash drive into one of her electronic picture frames. She then makes her way to the break room to get the coffee going. She hears a groan behind her.

"She's back…and I forgot my shovel to stir my coffee," Rossi teases.

JJ smiles at him. "You have a nice big office. Get your own coffee pot or stop the whining, old man."

Rossi chuckles as he walks over. "You look happy, relaxed. I take it you had a good weekend?"

JJ nods. "We did, thanks. It was so nice to just be a family together and not worry about unsubs or animals or anything else. It was just about the 4 of us."

Rossi smiles. "That's great, JJ. You two deserved a nice weekend. Happy anniversary, Mrs. Prentiss."

JJ smiles proudly. "Thanks, Rossi."

When JJ gets back to her desk she sees a large bouquet of roses waiting. As she opens the card she smiles.

_"I love you, baby. One year down, forever to go. Te amo, Emily."_

Rossi grins as he walks by. "She's a tricky one, isn't she."

"Did she rope you into helping with this?"

"Of course. I like playing innocent spy games."

JJ's laugher follows him to his office.

* * *

At exactly 12:01 Garcia is pulling JJ out of her desk chair. "Reid, we're going to lunch. See you in an hour," the orange haired woman states.

"Uh, okay," he says with a grin as JJ rolls her eyes and lets Garcia lead her to the elevators.

They drive to a small diner just north of the base where they can get a semi-private booth. After they order, Garcia taps the table impatiently.

"So? Tell!"

JJ gets an innocent look on her face. "Gee, tell what?"

Garcia scowls. "Do you forget I hold your electronic life in my gossip itchy hands?"

JJ giggles. "Right. So, we didn't suffer Lesbian Bed Death. Em still isn't cleared for sex yet."

Garcia frowns. "Oh. That sucks." Then she raises an eyebrow as she realizes what JJ didn't say. "But you are 100% go for sex, right?"

JJ shakes her head. "And they say I am the natural profiler. Yes, I was 100% go. In fact, I was well on my way when-"

She breaks off as their lunch is delivered. JJ laughs as Garcia cannot get the waitress away quick enough. Finally they are alone again so Garcia prompts.

"When…?"

JJ leans closer and whispers. "When Henry came out of his bedroom and thought Emily was biting me. Terrified him."

Garcia's grin fades as she imagines his fear. "Oh, my poor boy."

JJ waves a hand as she stabs her salad. "He's okay. Emily was the one hurt most. He was scared and so…so mad at her. It tore her up."

"Poor, Emster. Did she settle things with Henry?"

JJ laughs. "Do you really think he can be mad at her for long? They were okay by the time the Redskins game came on Sunday afternoon. He sat with her the whole time 'reading' books to her and Rocky." JJ sighs in contentment. "I honestly don't think I saw a whole quarter of the game."

"Awww…that's so sweet."

"We had a really, really good time, Pen. It was just perfect."

"Except for the sexus interruptus," Garcia points out.

JJ laughs. "Well, yeah, except for that."

* * *

Two weeks later JJ gets home and the house is mysteriously quiet. She frowns as she makes her way upstairs. She sees Henry is already in bed asleep. She glances at her watch. Sure she was late but it was still only 6:30. She puts his teddy bear back in his arms and strokes a hand through his hair. "Love you, Little Man."

She steps into Rocky's room and gently re-tucks her daughter. She kisses her on the head. "I love you, sweet girl."

As she walks down to her bedroom she is about to call out to Emily when she catches sight of her wife. JJ's jaw hits the ground.

"Oh, Em…"

Emily slowly undoes the silk robe she wears, letting it fall to the ground. She wears nothing underneath.

"Guess who got the okay to have sex today?" she asks coyly.

JJ swallows, trying to get enough moisture into her mouth to speak. "If it's not you this is too fucking cruel."

Emily just raises an eyebrow and runs a hand across the neatly trimmed hair between her legs. JJ moans and steps into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She rushes into Emily's arms, their mouths crashing together. Yes, Emily had been able to take care of some of JJ's immediate needs. But it is the equal give and take of pleasure that truly satisfies their love.

"Oh, Emily," JJ moans as together they quickly divest JJ of her clothes. Her mouth aches to suck on one of the breasts so close to her face. "Pumped?" she asks.

"Yes. They are all yours. Just…a little sore."

JJ nods. "I remember. Lay down, Emily. I want to worship your body."

Emily lies down. JJ stares at her naked wife. Yes there were a few pounds left from the pregnancy. Sure there were stretch marks. Yep her breasts sagged a little. Still…

"You are the most beautiful woman in the world, Emily," JJ says breathlessly.

Emily's eyes tear up at the emotion that statement evokes. "You make me feel like a million bucks, Jen. I feel so frumpy most times lately."

JJ slowly crawls up her wife's body. "Sexy as hell, never frumpy. Never."

Her mouth latches onto her wife's. She kisses her way down Emily's neck…down…down…down until she reclaims Emily's right breast. Emily arches into the gentle kiss. She moans, her hands roaming JJ's body as she thrusts against the thigh pressing against her sex.

JJ carefully licks and kisses each tender breast, remembering that too much would be painful. She doesn't want to hurt Emily even a little. She just wants to love her.

She continues to kiss her way downward. She gently kisses and draws her tongue along each stretch mark.

"Oh, Jen!" Emily moans, fingers of one hand tangling into JJ's hair as her other hand gently plays with her own breast.

JJ knows how badly Emily needs sexual release but JJ needs to acquaint herself with her wife's new body. She stares for a moment at the small red line that marks the C-section incision. She gently licks and kisses along that line.

"Jen…please…so bad…need…" Emily mumbles.

JJ can't wait any longer…and neither can Emily. Settling between Emily's legs, JJ slowly spreads her wife's folds, drawing her tongue up them. She is not surprised that Emily is a little dry. It was common. JJ smiles…she'll just have to make her wet.

She pushes her tongue in, making Emily buck up, riding JJ. She twirls her tongue, her nose rubbing against Emily's clit as they rub together. She brings her hand up and licks a finger. She slides the moistened digit into her wife

"YES! Oh, Jen!"

JJ smiles, feeling Emily's walls tighten immediately. She starts to suck Emily's clit, her digit thrusting in slowly but deeply. Emily bounces, meeting every push from her wife.

"One…more…please…" Emily begs.

Sure her wife is safely wet now, JJ adds a second finger it only takes 4 more thrusts before Emily comes with a wild scream.

"JENNN! OH…GUUUNNGHH!"

JJ stills her ministrations, knowing too much too soon could hurt her wife. She carefully extracts her fingers and crawls up beside Emily. Emily immediately cuddles up against her wife.

"Jennifer…so good…"

JJ smiles and kisses Emily's temple. "I love you, Emily. So much."

"I love you, too. Give me a second and I can-"

"No, baby. Tonight was just about you. Rest now. I'll go get us something to eat in a few minutes."

Emily just moans sleepily. JJ smiles as she thinks of the conversation a couple weeks before. "Nope…no Lesbian Bed Death for us," she whispers to her now sleeping wife.

* * *

After Emily wakes up from her post-coital slumber, JJ goes down and gets them a couple of sandwiches for dinner. As they sit in bed enjoying their light dinner, Emily suddenly looks at her wife.

"I had a choice."

JJ looks at her in confusion. "What?"

"I…I told you about that…that place with Amy when I was…you know…"

JJ nods nervously. "Yeah."

"At the end of our journey there were two doors. I knew one was…was the afterlife and that it offered me peace and love without pain. The other was the doorway here with the promise of love with the chance of pain life gives us. I had to choose which way to go. God, Jen, the pull to the other door was…was magnetic. I could feel the love from people I had lost wanting me to go to them." She sits up and stares into her wife's eyes. "But in my heart I knew that I'd risk all the pain life has to offer just to be with you, Rocky and Henry again. I love you, Jennifer Prentiss."

JJ wipes the tears from her eyes. "I love you, too, Emily Prentiss. Thank you for choosing us. I can't imagine my life without you."

They share another kiss. When it ends, JJ takes their plates and sets them aside. Soon they are again reaffirming their love for each other, recognizing how close they had come to losing each other to a twisted quirk of fate.


	15. Chapter 15

Emily slowly lays Rocky down in the crib. She turns to Matilda. "You have my extension right?"

Matilda smiles. "Yes, Emily. And before you ask, JJ's, too. Also, the numbers for Garcia, Reid, Rossi, Hotch and Morgan. Even Chief Straus. If for some reason I can't reach any of you I'll call in the Marines' Search and Rescue team."

Emily chuckles nervously. "Sorry. Just…nervous."

Matilda smiles. "As all mother's are. I promise you, Emily, she will be fine."

JJ wraps her arms around her wife. "Do you remember what you told me the first time I left Henry down here?"

Emily bites her lip. "Uh…no clue."

"You told me he would be fine and if I was at all worried to just hop on the elevator and come see for myself. You're back to the office, baby, but you have a few months before you travel with us again. Rocky will be here and so will you. Everything will be just fine."

Emily gives a shiver. "I…I remember what happened…your first week back."

JJ turns and stares into her wife's eyes. "Won't happen again. I swear, Emily."

Emily just nods. She turns back to her daughter. She straightens the onesie on the sleeping baby. She leans over and kisses her.

"I can do this. I can. Shit…can I?"

JJ smiles. "Yes, you can. And you'll be down here around 11 to nurse her. You can make it 2 and a half hours. I have faith in you."

Matilda chuckles. "I promise you, Emily, she will be fine."

Emily sighs. "I know. Matilda, you are great. I hope you don't think I'm questioning you."

The caregiver laughs. "If I thought that every time a parent left their child here the first time I'd have changed professions long ago."

Emily grins. "I bet. Well…see you at 11." She leans over and kisses Rocky once more. "Love you, sweet girl."

JJ kisses their daughter. "See you later, Rock Star. I love you."

The two head out and get on the elevator. As JJ hits the button for the BAU floor, she takes Emily's hand and squeezes it.

"She's okay, baby."

"I know. I'm the one that's a mess."

JJ laughs, not denying that statement at all.

* * *

When the team gathers for their 10 a.m. meeting they can't help but smile, glad they are all together in the same room again. After a moment, Hotch looks down at the paperwork in front of him.

"First of all, welcome back Emily. We've missed you."

She grins. "You had to read that off your papers?"

The team laughs. Hotch raises his eyebrows at her.

"Okay…maybe we didn't miss you that much after all." She winks at him. He grins and looks back down. "Secondly, Morgan, JJ, there is a meeting on Wednesday for you two to make the final pitch regarding the class you want to teach. It's at 10 so we'll meet here at 9 to discuss cases. Good luck to you both."

Morgan nods. "Thanks. We are mostly all set. Just waiting on some PowerPoint magic from Garcia and we're done with the presentation."

"Yeah, but hopefully our words will mean more than bells and whistles," JJ says.

Everyone agrees. Hotch hands a folder to Rossi.

"Dave, there is a criminal justice class at Georgetown that would like you to speak regarding The Reaper."

Rossi raises his eyebrow. "Me? Really?"

Hotch glares at him. "Yes, you. Problem with that?"

Rossi slowly shakes his head. "Nope, none at all."

Hotch sets his papers aside. "So, what open cases do we have?"

Emily smiles, trying to break the tension just mentioning The Reaper invokes. "None for me. My desk is completely clear because I am just that good!"

Reid, Morgan and JJ exchange looks as everyone chuckles. Each agent takes 2 folders off their stack and tosses them in front of Emily. She frowns.

"You guys suck," she complains good-naturedly.

Soon all the cases have been discussed and Garcia has doled out a few more to each agent. As she heads back to her desk, Emily gives a content sigh.

"I can't believe I missed this place and I'm glad to be back."

Reid smiles. "I know I'm glad to have you back. It's hard to get my points across sometimes. You always get me. I've missed that."

Emily grins at him. "I missed that, too."

JJ grins at them from her desk. "Trust me, Em, the whole team missed that. Do you know how many times we nearly called you for a nerd translation."

Reid frowns at her. "Ouch."

JJ just winks at him.

From up near his office, Hotch watches as the three agents tease and joke with each other a bit before getting to work. He smiles. Yes…it was good to have everyone back. They were a team…a family. And always, always stronger together.

With a slight smile, he turns and goes into his office, content with knowing his team was back to being the best the FBI has to offer.


End file.
